Mastectomy News and Research

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Mastectomy is surgery to remove the breast (or as much of the breast tissue as possible).

Alternate method to precisely tag breast cancer tumors

When surgeons operate to remove a tumor, determining exactly where to cut can be tricky. Ideally, the entire tumor should be removed while leaving a continuous layer of healthy tissue, but current techniques for locating the tumors during surgery are imprecise. Now a multidisciplinary team from the University of California, San Diego, is developing an alternate means of precisely tagging breast cancer tumors for removal or targeted destruction.

29 Oct 2012

Sterile acellular matrices 'reliable in expander-based breast reconstruction'

Sterile human acellular dermal matrix offers reliable matrix incorporation and a low complication rate for expander-based breast reconstruction, the results of a US study indicate, which also suggest that sterilization does not affect incorporation success.

15 Oct 2012

GW professor to develop blood test for early detection of breast cancer

Today, patients with precancerous lesions, or early-stage breast cancer are usually diagnosed after a mammography screening. This method of detection can lead to false-positives and overtreatment, since mammography cannot determine whether pre-cancerous cells will actually turn into breast cancer. This may all change after Sidney Fu, M.D., professor of medicine at the George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), completes his study of early breast cancer detection using novel small RNA (microRNA or miRNA) biomarkers.

5 Oct 2012

Age, not just comorbidity, affects breast cancer surgery rates in elderly

The high rates of elderly UK women with breast cancer who do not undergo surgical treatment are not entirely explained by the presence of comorbidities, report UK researchers.

4 Oct 2012

Young women with BRCA mutations feel differently about options for relationships, careers

A study published in the October issue of the American Journal of Nursing (AJN) found that young women who learn they have BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations felt differently about options for relationships, treatment, childbearing and careers.

26 Sep 2012

Study reveals potential of NIR spectral imaging for intra-operative skin flap assessment

In 2010 breast reconstruction entered the Top Five list of reconstructive procedures in the US, with 93,000 procedures performed, up 8% from 2009, and 18% from 2000. This is among the most common skin flap procedure performed.

24 Sep 2012

Think ‘glass half full’ to reduce pain after breast surgery

Women who undergo surgery for breast cancer are less likely to experience postoperative pain if they have an optimistic personality, but are more likely to experience it if they already had preoperative pain, shows an analysis of the Study of Recovery after Breast Surgery.

13 Sep 2012

Study to investigate how breast cancer patients might benefit from exercise

Researchers in Edmonton and Calgary want to recruit 1,500 breast cancer patients over the next decade to find out how exercise and fitness affects cancer survival and recovery.

29 Aug 2012

Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation and partners applaud Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day

The Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation (MTF) today announced its partnership with the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and the Plastic Surgery Foundation (The PSF) in support of the first national Breast Reconstruction Awareness (BRA) Day USA on October 17, 2012.

28 Aug 2012

ASPS launches campaign to educate women about available breast reconstruction options

A new survey released today by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) shows that 89 percent of women want to see what breast reconstruction surgery results would look like before undergoing treatment for breast cancer, prompting the world's largest group of board-certified plastic surgeons to launch a landmark show-and-tell event as part of Breast Reconstruction Awareness (BRA) Day USA, October 17, 2012 in New Orleans.

22 Aug 2012

Research explores impact of radiotherapy in older women with low risk of breast cancer recurrence

A Rhode Island Hospital radiation oncologist says in a new editorial that research exploring the impact of radiotherapy in older women with low risk of breast cancer recurrence has little effect on actual clinical decisions.

22 Aug 2012

Early stage breast cancer in older women: an interview with Dr. Benjamin Smith

Early stage breast cancer in older women is a common problem. In the United States nearly half of women diagnosed with breast cancer are aged 65 or older. A sizeable proportion of those patients have early stage breast cancer.

15 Aug 2012

Radiation therapy following lumpectomy may benefit older, early-stage breast cancer patients

For the majority of older, early-stage breast cancer patients, radiation therapy following breast conserving surgery may help prevent the need for a later mastectomy, according to research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

13 Aug 2012

Radiation after lumpectomy helps prevent need for subsequent mastectomy in older women with early stage breast cancer

Contrary to clinical recommendations, older women with early stage breast cancer may want to undergo radiation after lumpectomy to help ensure that they will not need a mastectomy in the future. That is the conclusion of a new study published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The findings indicate that current thinking on the risks and benefits of radiation for early stage breast cancer in older women may be inaccurate.

13 Aug 2012

Fat transfers may benefit patients after breast reconstructive surgery

When Susan McLain, 49, underwent a double mastectomy, she never imagined that she would look and feel better after reconstructive surgery than she did before breast cancer.

10 Aug 2012

State roundup: N.Y. law requires coverage for partial mastectomy

New York's newest laws include one that will require health insurance to cover reconstructive surgery after partial mastectomies. Health insurers in New York must already cover the cost of reconstructive surgery after a full mastectomy (8/2).

3 Aug 2012

Fat grafts ‘safe’ following breast reconstruction

Autologous fat grafting following breast reconstruction does not increase the long-term risk for tumor recurrence, US research shows.

23 Jul 2012

Breast-conserving surgery carries high reoperation risk

Women who undergo breast-conserving surgery for breast cancer may be at an increased risk for reoperation, research suggests.

20 Jul 2012

NHS hospitals have scope to make efficiency savings by adopting best practice

NHS hospitals have substantial scope to improve their efficiency by adopting best practice, according to research published today by Professor Andrew Street and colleagues at the Centre for Health Economics (CHE) at the University of York.

14 Jul 2012

Breast cancer patients who undergo breast conserving surgery often have a reoperation

One in five women with breast cancer who opt for breast conserving surgery rather than a mastectomy have a reoperation, according to a national study published on bmj.com today. This information on the risk of reoperation should help women in making the decision about whether to undergo breast conserving surgery or mastectomy.

13 Jul 2012