Breast cancer patients who have a breast removed now have the option of having breast reconstruction performed at the same time as their mastectomy.

“The standard today is to at least offer a woman, where medically appropriate, immediate breast reconstruction,” says Michael Giuffrida, MD, plastic surgeon at Hunterdon Medical Center (HMC). There are multiple benefits to this approach, not the least of which is psychological. “When the patient wakes up, she still has a breast,” Dr. Giuffrida says. “You also avoid a second surgery.”

Immediate breast reconstruction allows the breast surgeon and the plastic surgeon to work together. The breast surgeon can preserve most of the breast skin, removing only the breast tissue and nipple during mastectomy. “Leaving the patient’s breast skin gives you a superior cosmetic result,” Dr. Giuffrida explains.

A Woman’s Options
Many woment have a choice of several types of breast reconstruction:

An Implant or Your Own Tissue?
While the most common breast reconstruction involves an implant, the TRAM flap procedure has become the most popular for women who want to use their own tissue. TRAM stands for the transverse rectus abdominus muscle, located in the lower abdomen. According to Dr. Giuffrida, using the patient’s own tissue typically feels more natural than an implant.

“The procedure involves taking skin, fat and muscle tissue from below the belly button area to recreate the breast,” says Dr. Giuffrida. “It’s similar to a tummy tuck.” Recovery time is six weeks to three months, longer than it takes to recover from breast reconstruction using implants.

“The only restriction to using a patient’s own tissue for breast reconstruction would be a medical reason,” Dr. Giuffrida explains, “or prior abdominal surgery that has caused too much scar tissue, as in traditional gall bladder surgery.”

Who Decides?
Dr. Giuffrida encourages patients to make their own decisions about which type of reconsctruction surgery to have after discussing all the options with their cancer surgeons, plastic surgeons and family doctors.

For more information about breast cancer and treatment options, call 908-877-5658.