Mastectomy News and Research

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

Plastic surgeons develop new SADIE flap procedure to reconstruct breast after mastectomy

UT Southwestern Medical Center plastic surgeons have developed a new breast reconstruction technique that combines advantages of two different types of microsurgical procedures using abdominal and other tissue to reconstruct the breast after a mastectomy.

20 Apr 2016

Study links rise in double mastectomy to media coverage of celebrities with breast cancer

An increase in women with breast cancer choosing double mastectomy may be influenced by media coverage of celebrities, a new study finds.

20 Apr 2016

Delay in radiation therapy increases chances of DCIS recurrence in women

Delaying radiation therapy too long after surgery significantly increases the risk of recurrent tumors in women treated for very early, or what is referred to as "stage 0," breast cancer, according to new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

19 Apr 2016

Neo-Bioscore staging system adds HER2 status for precise prognostic stratification of breast cancer subtypes

A new breast cancer staging system developed by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center finds that incorporating tumor biology is a critical prognostic indicator for women who undergo neoadjuvant, or pre-surgical, therapy for breast cancer.

18 Mar 2016

Use of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy tripled from 2002 to 2012 despite no survival benefit

The use of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM), the surgical removal of a breast unaffected by cancer as part of the course of treatment for breast cancer, has more than tripled from 2002 to 2012 despite evidence suggesting no survival benefit over breast conservation, according to a new study from Brigham and Women's Hospital published in Annals of Surgery on March 11, 2016.

14 Mar 2016

Clinical review examines benefit of RT in breast cancer patients with BRCA1, BRCA2 mutations

In light of conflicting and inconclusive clinical data on the benefit of radiation therapy in cancer patients with the BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation, a clinical review examined the current status of data regarding BRCA1 and BRCA2 deficiency and radiation therapy sensitivity and a potential strategy to intensify the effects of radiation therapy (RT) by poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi), the pharmacologic drugs under investigation as monotherapy for the treatment of breast cancer in patients with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations.

9 Mar 2016

CTRC study provides new insight into how Angelina Jolie gene functions in normal breast tissue

Scientists from the Cancer Therapy & Research Center in San Antonio today (March 4) published work that provides deeper insight into how the Angelina Jolie gene, BRCA1, functions in normal breast tissue and how its loss results in breast cancer.

7 Mar 2016

Ethnic minority women consider cancer as deadly and incurable, study finds

Women from ethnic minorities in the UK are more likely to believe that cancer is incurable and is down to fate than their white counterparts, according to a Cancer Research UK study published in the British Journal of Cancer today.

2 Mar 2016

Muscle-sparing abdominal flaps can reduce complications in women undergoing breast reconstruction

In women undergoing breast reconstruction using their own (autologous) tissue, newer "muscle-sparing" abdominal flaps can reduce complications while improving some aspects of quality of life, reports a study in the March issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

27 Feb 2016

Genetic test use rises in young US breast cancer patients

BRCA testing is becoming more common in women diagnosed with breast cancer by the age of 40 years in the USA, research shows, with concerns about genetic risk influencing surgical decisions.

18 Feb 2016

Lipofilling safe for breast reconstruction

For women undergoing breast cancer surgery, a technique called lipofilling—using the patient's own fat cells to optimize the results of breast reconstruction—does not increase the risk of recurrent breast cancer, reports a study in the February issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

31 Jan 2016

Breast cancer patients only moderately informed about pros and cons of breast reconstructive surgery

A study by University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers and collaborators has uncovered a need to better inform breast cancer patients about the pros and cons of breast reconstructive surgery among women undergoing mastectomy.

11 Jan 2016

Long travel distances continue to be an obstacle to breast reconstruction after mastectomy

Long travel distances continue to be a significant obstacle to breast reconstruction after mastectomy for breast cancer, reports a study in the January issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

31 Dec 2015

Commercialization of health and beauty can lead to Angelina Jolie syndrome

The politicization and commercialization of health issues in today's Western culture have led to growing healthism -- a peremptory idea of self-preserving behaviour. This approach criticizes everything that fails to fit into the glamorous standards of a beautiful, young and slim body.

13 Dec 2015

Study may help guide patients and physicians to determine appropriate treatment option for early breast cancer

In a review of guideline-concordant treatment modalities for women with early stage breast cancer, mastectomy and reconstruction had the highest rate of complications and complication-related costs, regardless of age. It was also the most expensive treatment option in a younger patient population, according to a new study from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

11 Dec 2015

Surgeons’ contralateral breast cancer knowledge gaps identified

A survey of US surgeons reveals the gaps in the respondents’ knowledge of contralateral breast cancer risk.

30 Nov 2015

Health insurance coverage for transgender people is cost-effective, study finds

A new analysis led by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests that while most U.S. health insurance plans deny benefits to transgender men and women for medical care necessary to transition to the opposite sex, paying for sex reassignment surgery and hormones is actually cost-effective.

25 Nov 2015

Mason researchers patent new breast cancer treatment

George Mason University researchers have patented a new breast cancer treatment that uses a common malaria drug to stop cancer in its beginning stages.

21 Nov 2015

Women with elevated breast cancer risk can benefit from regular physical activity

Regular physical activity could play a role in helping women at high-risk of breast cancer delay the need for drastic preventive measures such as prophylactic mastectomy, according to new research led by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

30 Oct 2015

APBI brachytherapy improves overall survival in selected patients with early stage breast cancer

The Groupe Européen de Curiethérapie European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (GEC-ESTRO) today announced results from a prospective, randomized, multicenter phase III study comparing accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) with interstitial multicatheter brachytherapy to whole breast irradiation (WBI).

20 Oct 2015