Mastectomy News and Research

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

Mastectomy may contribute to worse sexual health, psychosocial outcomes

While mastectomy is often a necessary and life-saving treatment option for many women with breast cancer, the surgery may contribute to worse sexual health, body image, and several other physical and emotional challenges after surgery, according to a new systematic review on the effects of mastectomy in women with breast cancer.

3 Oct 2025

Proton therapy offers no significant QOL advantage over photon therapy for breast cancer

The first randomized trial to compare photon- and proton-based radiation therapy for breast cancer finds that patients report equally strong health-related quality of life with either treatment. Patients who received proton therapy were more likely to say they would recommend or choose it again, but overall patient-reported outcomes were similar.

30 Sep 2025

Leading cancer organizations release updated guideline on post-mastectomy radiation therapy

Three leading national cancer organizations today issued an updated guideline on post-mastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) for physicians treating patients with breast cancer.

16 Sep 2025

Expanding mastectomy access could prevent more breast cancer cases

More women at higher risk of breast cancer should be offered a mastectomy, according to a new study led by researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Queen Mary, University of London.

24 Jul 2025

Powerlifting through breast cancer treatment shows new hope

LaShae Rolle, 27, is a competitive powerlifer who could squat 441 pounds, bench 292 pounds and deadlift 497 pounds. She is also a breast cancer survivor and researcher and the lead author on a first-of-its kind study documenting elite-level strength training during active breast cancer treatment.

23 Jul 2025

Mayo Clinic researchers discover how ovarian cancer may begin

Little is known about what causes ovarian cancer, and there is no way to detect it early yet. About 75% of the time when someone is diagnosed with ovarian cancer, it has already progressed to stage 3 or stage 4, which means it has spread to other parts of the body.

24 Jun 2025

BRCA mutations sharply increase risk of implant-associated lymphoma

Women with breast cancer who were also carriers of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation and received textured breast implants as part of their reconstructive surgery after mastectomy were 16 times more likely to develop breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL), a rare T-cell lymphoma, compared with similar women without these genetic mutations, according to a study published today in Blood Advances.

14 Jun 2025

Breast cancer detected via routine screening linked to better outcomes

Researchers have discovered that, compared to breast cancer that is symptom-detected, patients with breast cancer detected via routine screening mammography are more likely to have improved clinical outcomes, according to a study published today in Radiology: Imaging Cancer, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America.

30 May 2025

New treatment approach boosts survival rates for patients with aggressive, inherited breast cancers

A new treatment approach significantly improves survival rates for patients with aggressive, inherited breast cancers, according to Cambridge researchers.

13 May 2025

Racial disparities in breast reconstruction persist despite ACA implementation

Despite steady increases in rates of immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) after mastectomy, racial disparities in IBR have persisted in the years since implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), reports a study in the May issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

30 Apr 2025

Study reveals progressive breast shrinkage after breast-conserving therapy

For women with early-stage breast cancer, breast-conserving therapy (BCT) including radiation therapy (RT) leads to progressive reduction in breast size over time, reports a study in the April issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

27 Mar 2025

New clinical trial aims to optimize pain management and reduce opioid use after mastectomy

A multidisciplinary team of University of Cincinnati Cancer Center researchers is leading a new clinical trial aimed to optimize pain management and reduce the need for opioids after mastectomy procedures.

6 Mar 2025

Breast-conserving therapy linked to better sexual well-being compared to mastectomy

For women with breast cancer, breast-conserving therapy (BCT) is associated with improved sexual well-being, compared to mastectomy followed by breast reconstruction, reports a study in the March issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

26 Feb 2025

Brain stimulation enables nuanced feeling in prosthetic hands

You can probably complete an amazing number of tasks with your hands without looking at them. But if you put on gloves that muffle your sense of touch, many of those simple tasks become frustrating. Take away proprioception - your ability to sense your body's relative position and movement - and you might even end up breaking an object or injuring yourself.

16 Jan 2025

NIH funding supports research into chronic pain following surgery

After surgery, pain is expected and often subsides within a few weeks. But for around 20% of patients, persistent pain may continue for months or even years after a procedure, impacting quality of life and putting patients at risk for opioid overuse.

6 Jan 2025

Older women undergoing breast reconstruction may have increased risks for complications

For women undergoing breast reconstruction after mastectomy, older age is associated with small but significant increases in certain complications, reports a study in the January issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

20 Dec 2024

Chest wall irradiation does not impact 10-year survival in intermediate-risk breast cancer

Patients with intermediate-risk breast cancer had similar rates of 10-year overall survival whether or not they underwent chest wall irradiation (CWI) after mastectomy, according to results from the BIG 2-04 MRC SUPREMO clinical trial presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), held December 10-13, 2024.

12 Dec 2024

Risk-reducing surgeries provide benefits for young BRCA-mutation carriers

Patients with germline BRCA mutations who were diagnosed with breast cancer at or before age 40 and who underwent a bilateral risk-reducing mastectomy (RRM) and/or a risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) had lower rates of recurrence, secondary breast and/or ovarian malignancies, and death than those who did not undergo these surgeries, according to results presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), held December 10-13, 2024.

11 Dec 2024

Researchers uncover key genes linked to DCIS progression

A team of researchers mapping a molecular atlas for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) has made a major advance toward distinguishing whether the early pre-cancers in the breast will develop into invasive cancers or remain stable.

20 Nov 2024

Cleveland Clinic presents new findings on triple-negative breast cancer vaccine

Cleveland Clinic researchers are presenting updated findings from their novel study of a vaccine aimed at preventing triple-negative breast cancer, the most aggressive and lethal form of the disease.

8 Nov 2024