Long term satisfaction with various methods of breast reconstruction.

This week a group of researchers published a study looking at whether the type of breast reconstruction after mastectomy for breast cancer affected a women's long term satisfaction with the reconstruction. The basic idea of the study was to look back at 342 women who had breast cancer and a mastectomy. About half of the women underwent breast reconstruction with a tissue expander and breast implant; the other half was reconstructed with a transverse rectus abdominus myocutaneous flap (TRAM flap) using the woman's own tissue. 73% of the women responded to a survey about their overall health and how satisfied they were with the appearance, shape, softness, size, and projection of their breasts.

The interesting finding is that in the first five years about 70% of women in both groups were satisfied with various aspects of their breasts. However, after 8 years the satisfaction rate for the women reconstructed with expanders and breasts implants dropped significantly to around 40% while the women reconstructed with the TRAM flaps showed increasing satisfaction over the same time period to about 80%.

The implication is that, while both methods achieve good levels of satisfaction in the first 5 years after reconstruction, the long term outlook appears better for TRAM flap reconstructions.

What does this mean for woman facing mastectomy and reconstruction with a new diagnosis of breast cancer?

There is no substitute for discussing your particular situation with your surgeon. There is no one right answer and this study does not mean that all women should have a TRAM reconstruction - some women are simply not good candidates for TRAM flap reconstruction. This is just one more piece of information to discuss with you doctor to help you make an informed decision that is right for you.

I think is if fair to say that if you are a candidate for both methods of reconstruction you may want to give more thought to TRAM reconstruction give the better long term satisfaction.

If you are a women with breast cancer in Washington or Oregon facing mastectomy and reconstruction and would like to discuss your reconstructive options with me please call my office at (503) 499-6687 or visit my web site http://www.reidmueller.com for more information.