Turkeltaub » Breast cancer

Usage of Acellular Dermis In Breast Reconstruction Improves Results and Predictability and Shortens Time For Final Result

admin — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 12:00:31 +0000

Advances in breast reconstruction techniques for the correction of deformities resultant from treatment for breast cancer have shown great potential and results. This specifically relates to the usage of acellular dermis which is specially treated human tissue devoid of cells, infective agents and immunogenic potential (can’t be rejected by one’s body). Used for several years now, it has established a great track record in this usage.

Several biomedical companies offer this tissue though there are clearly differences in the products, results and risks. AlloDerm® by LifeCell Corp. has been the most studied of these with the results being superior.

In the December issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (Vol. 124 Number 6), a study from the University of Rochester delineated several advantages of acellular dermis in breast reconstruction. For immediate breast reconstruction using tissue expanders, they noted that the expanders could be filled to far greater amounts when AlloDerm® was employed as compared to a different technique. Postoperative inflations were fewer and completed much sooner and allowed for the insertion of the final breast implant at an earlier date. This translated into an accelerated rate of reconstruction, more predictable and satisfactory results and the potential for a better aesthetic appearance. Best of all, there was no significant difference in complication rates with its usage.

I have been using AlloDerm® in my patients undergoing immediate as well as late breast reconstruction procedures and have found it to be an incredibly invaluable addition. It allows for clearly superior and more predictable results in configuration, positioning and softness and reduces the need for subsequent procedures to further refine the results.

If you would like to obtain additional information on breast reconstruction including the usage of tissue expanders or on any other plastic surgery procedure that I perform or if you want to schedule a consultation with me, you can contact my office at 480-451-3000.

Steven H. Turkeltaub, M.D. P.C.
Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona

Bilateral Tissue Expander Breast Reconstruction With Previous Unilateral Breast Radiation Treatments

admin — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 12:00:12 +0000

In breast reconstruction, the ultimate goal is to recreate a breast that is as close as possible to the remaining breast. Perfect symmetry is naturally impossible. Even in situations where the reconstructed breast may be somewhat “similar” to the remaining breast in appearance in the immediate postoperative period, the two sides will invariably change or age differently over time, thereby increasing the differences.

Women who have undergone bilateral mastectomies inherently have better odds of obtaining symmetry in their breast reconstruction. Why? The reason is that they are often starting with similar deformities on each side, thereby allowing for the same reconstructive technique to be utilized for both breasts. This is true whether reconstruction is performed with the simple insertion of implants, usage of tissue expanders or with flaps such as a TRAM flap.

One notable caveat to this is if one side had been irradiated as an adjunct treatment of the breast cancer. As I noted in an earlier post (Problems With Tissue Expansion Breast Reconstruction In Previously Irradiated Tissue), the ionizing effects of the radiation treatments damages the skin resulting in scarring, thickening, increased rigidity and less suppleness of the tissues which often also show visual signs of the damage. This translates into tissue that is more resistant to the stretching that is necessary with tissue expansion breast reconstruction as well as breasts that often feel quite rigid or hard.

The following case illustrates this exact scenario. The patient underwent a bilateral mastectomy with radiation subsequently performed on the left side. In the photos, you may be able to appreciate the slightly darker color and firmness of the skin.

a.) Bilateral mastectomies with left breast irradiation. Pre-op

b.) Bilateral mastectomies with left breast irradiation. Post-op insertion and inflation of tissue expanders

c). Pre-op

d.) Post-op insertion and inflation of tissue expanders

e.) Pre-op

f.) Post-op insertion and inflation of tissue expanders

She elected to undergo bilateral breast reconstruction using tissue expanders. Despite using identical tissue expanders, there is a significant difference in appearance between the two sides. Ironically, though the irradiated left side is inflated with more saline than the right, it actually appears less voluminous. That is an effect of the radiation damage.

If you would like to obtain additional information on breast reconstruction, breast implants or any other plastic surgery procedure that I perform or to schedule a consultation, you can contact my office at 480-451-3000.

Steven H. Turkeltaub, M.D. P.C.
Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona

Breast Reduction Surgery Can Serve to Identify Those Women At An Increased Risk of Developing Breast Cancer

admin — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:00:33 +0000

In a recent posting, I discussed the need to obtain mammograms for women beyond a certain age prior to undergoing a breast reduction. The reason for is to screen for any abnormalities that may need to be explored further prior to the reduction mammoplasty surgery. It was also noted that even with a “negative” mammogram, there is an incidence of occult breast cancer identified in the removed breast tissue of between 0.16% and 0.40%.

A retrospective study just published in the October 2009 issue of the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Journal evaluated the incidence of precancerous lesions present in the tissue removed in breast reductions. What they discovered was very interesting and clinically helpful in potentially identifying women who are at increased risks of developing invasive breast cancer. Atypical ductal or lobular hyperplasia (abnormal but not cancerous) was diagnosed in the specimens in 4.4% of the women and a non-invasive state of breast cancer (ductal and lobular carcinoma in-situ) was seen in an additional 1.8%.

Why is this important? Based on the pathological diagnosis, a woman’s risk for developing breast cancer in the future can be quantified and appropriate preemptive actions taken as warranted. Atypical ductal and lobular hyperplasia have a 4 – 5 time increased risk of developing invasive breast cancer whereas ductal and lobular carcinoma in situ have and 8 – 10 fold greater risk than the average woman. Ordinary fibrocystic disease has no elevated risk for the later development of breast cancer.

Those women with an elevated risk of developing breast cancer can then be referred to either an oncologist or breast cancer surgeon for further evaluation and possible treatment. This could include prophylactic mastectomies, radiation or even estrogen receptor modulator therapy such as taking tamoxifen.

Therefore, women who undergo breast reductions may now receive an additional benefit from a procedure that already has overwhelmingly positive satisfaction – reducing their risk of developing invasive breast cancer.

If you would like to obtain additional information on breast reduction, breast reconstruction or any cosmetic surgery procedure that I perform or to schedule a consultation, you can contact my office at 480-451-3000.

Steven H. Turkeltaub, M.D. P.C.
Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona

Breast Cancer Detected in Specimens Following a Breast Reduction in Women With Normal Mammograms

admin — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:00:10 +0000

Prior to undergoing a breast reduction, it is the standard of care to have an up to date mammogram for women of at least a certain age (which can vary). The purpose of this is to screen for any abnormalities that may need to be addressed prior to surgery. If a suspicious mass or area is noted that raises concerns for possibly being of malignant potential, a biopsy can be performed prior to the planned procedure. If the results are benign, then one can proceed with the breast reduction. Conversely, if the biopsy results reveal breast cancer, then treatment of this would be to be undertaken rather than the originally proposed breast reduction.

Mammograms do not identify every single case of breast cancer. A small percentage of breast cancers that are early or very small can evade detection with this method of screening but can be identified pathologically. These “occult” cancers are the reason why the breast tissue removed in the performance of a breast reduction is always sent for pathological evaluation.

Scientific studies have been done to investigate the incidence of these occult cancers in women who have undergone a breast reduction. The percentage is very low, somewhere in the range of 0.16% to 0.40%. Despite having been diagnosed with breast cancer, these women are lucky in that their tumors were identified early on, offering them a very high cure rate with appropriate treatment. If they hadn’t been seeking a breast reduction, it is likely that many of these cancers might not have been identified until they were larger and with a less favorable prognosis.

The following patient of mine exemplifies this scenario. She presented for a breast reduction at age 39, wearing a size 34G bra, no family history of breast cancer and with a normal mammogram. A reduction mammoplasty was successfully performed and she had an otherwise unremarkable postoperative course. However, the pathology report of her removed breast tissue revealed early cancer.

After consulting with a general surgeon, she underwent bilateral mastectomies with immediate reconstruction. The following photos illustrate her preoperative appearance, immediately following her breast reduction and appearance after reconstruction.

Before Breast Reduction - Frontal view

Before Breast Reduction - Side view

Immediately following Breast Reduction - Frontal view

Immediately following Breast Reduction - Side view

After Breast Reconstruction - Frontal view in bra

After Breast Reconstruction - Frontal view

After Breast Reconstruction - Oblique view

After Breast Reconstruction - Oblique view in bra

Following Breast Reconstruction - Side view

Following Breast Reconstruction - Side view in bra

If you would like to obtain additional information on breast reduction, breast reconstruction or any other cosmetic surgery procedure that I perform or to schedule a consultation, you can contact my office at 480-451-3000.

Steven H. Turkeltaub, M.D. P.C.
Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona

Problems With Tissue Expansion Breast Reconstruction In Previously Irradiated Tissue

admin — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:00:35 +0000

Radiation treatment following a mastectomy in the treatment of breast cancer is fairly common. Though refinements have been made in the radiation therapy that have significantly reduced both short and long term sequelae to the skin and underlying tissues, permanent consequences nevertheless exist which will affect the tissue expander breast reconstruction.

What does radiation do to the skin and soft tissues? The ionizing effects damage healthy cells causing scarring and thickening with increased rigidity of the tissues and less suppleness. The result is firmer feeling skin that is more rigid and more resistant to the stretching which is necessary with tissue expansion breast reconstruction. The small blood vessels in the field of treatment are also permanently damaged resulting in a reduction of blood supply to the tissues. Less oxygen and nutrients available to the tissues translates into an increased the risk of infection, greater susceptibility to trauma and prolonged healing times from surgery and injury. .

As a consequence of these changes, it is far more difficult to expand irradiated tissue in facilitating the breast reconstruction as compared to normal tissue. The increase in size obtained may be less than ideally desired and it can take much longer. Qualitatively, it often feels firm and appears darker than the surrounding skin. There is also an increased incidence of infections, formation of scar tissue around the expander, separation of recently closed incisions and even extrusion and exposure of the tissue expander through the skin.

Though tissue expander breast reconstruction can yield satisfactory results in tissue that has been previously irradiated, there are many attendant risks that need to be considered before selecting this option.

If you would like to obtain additional information on breast reconstruction or any other surgical procedure that I perform or to schedule a consultation, you can contact my office at 480-451-3000.

Steven H. Turkeltaub, M.D. P.C.
Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona

Are Silicone Breast Implants Associated With a Decreased Risk of Developing Breast Cancer?

admin — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:38:41 +0000

Silicone breast implants have been more thoroughly researched over the years than any other medical device. The purpose of many of these studies was to ascertain whether there existed a causal relationship between them and any disease processes. A quite unexpected discovery which has been well documented in several large patient population evaluations is that there is a lower than expected incidence of breast cancer occurring in women who have undergone a breast augmentation. In other words, women with silicone breast implants have a lower risk of developing breast cancer than the average women.

In the most recent large study, published in the International Journal of Cancer in January 2009, over 6200 Swedish and Danish women were followed post-implantation for a mean duration of over 16.5 years with over thirteen percent having the implants for at least twenty five years. What the researchers determined was that there was a statistically significant 27% reduction in risk of developing breast cancer in women with silicone gel breast implants. This is not a new finding as several studies performed previously reached the same conclusions with some actually showing risk reductions as high as 37 to 53%.

This is great news, of course, for both those women who have had a breast augmentation and those that are contemplating it. Why there is a lowered risk of breast cancer in women who have had silicone breast implants is not entirely clear and there may be several other factors in play. In discussing the procedure with my patients, I do not them that having breast implants will lower their risk of developing breast cancer. What I do indicate is that all evidence points to no increased risk of this type of cancer.

Steven H. Turkeltaub, M.D. P.C.
Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona

Breast Reduction: Does It Lower the Risk of Developing Breast Cancer?

admin — Sat, 23 May 2009 00:36:52 +0000

Breast reduction surgery is an extremely effective and rewarding procedure that many women undergo for the treatment of large, significantly uncomfortable breasts. It entails the removal of an appropriate amount of breast tissue and skin with recontouring in order to alleviate the symptoms. Research studies have shed light on another benefit: a lowered risk of developing breast cancer for some women. It would seem logical that with less breast tissue available to degenerate into cancer, the risk should be decreased. That is indeed what has been determined. Evidence from several studies performed to examine this possible relationship reveal a risk reduction ranging from 28% to 50%. This effect, however, was only noted to occur in women who were over 40 years old when the surgery was performed. No discernable benefit was seen in those women less than 40 years of age.

This well substantiated finding is just another potential benefit from undergoing a breast reduction. For those women who have an inherently high risk of developing breast cancer, a more appropriate procedure that removes virtually all the breast tissue should be considered such as a subcutaneous or total mastectomy.

Steven H. Turkeltaub, M.D.
Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona