Preservation of augmented breasts in patients with breast cancer

It is not uncommon for a patient who has previously undergone breast augmentation to be diagnosed with breast cancer. The options available to such a patient are a modified radical mastectomy and breast conservation treatment. If the patient chooses breast conservation treatment, the concerns that need to be addressed are whether the breast prosthesis should be removed before irradiation and whether the presence of the prosthesis would impair local control of the tumor or cosmetic results. This article presents the feasibility of breast conservation treatment without impairing the augmentation. Five patients underwent lumpectomy, perioperative placement of interstitial catheters in the tumor bed for immediate postoperative boost brachytherapy, and external beam irradiation to the entire breast. Results of follow-up examinations for a median of 60 months revealed successful local control and satisfactory cosmetic results. No long-term effects of radiation therapy on the breast prostheses have been observed. Thus, it seems feasible to conserve the breast and the augmentation with limited surgical resection and radiation therapy, including an immediate interstitial boost.