Recent Advances in Breast Reconstruction

The incidence of breast cancer in the United States is high and appears to be increasing. The American cancer Society has estimated that one in nine American women (11 percent) will eventually develop breast carcinoma. Recently there has been a dramatic shift away from mastectomy and toward breast-conserving therapy (Iumpectomy, axillary node dissection and whole breast irradiation). In some centres the majority of breast cancer patients are now treated with conservation therapy. Some patients, however, are not candidates for radiation, because of the size, location or histology of their tumour and are still best treated by mastectomy and reconstruction. Women who develop local recurrence following radiation therapy are likewise candidates for mastectomy with reconstruction. Additionally, there is a large group of women who had mastectomies in years past who have not had reconstruction. Thus many patients may potentially benefit from breast reconstruction.