Does Breast Reconstruction Affect Recurrence of Cancer?

A partial mastectomy is a breast reduction performed in a limited manner for removal of breast cancer. In fact, some patients who are to undergo partial mastectomy or lumpectomies may be better served with incorporating this into a more formal reduction mammaplasty procedure to improve the resulting size and shape. There is a theoretically increased risk of producing internal scars, densities, or calcifications that may confuse future mammogram but this usually handled with ultrasound or... more

Breast reconstruction should not interfere with future screening and detection of new  tumors or recurrence.

This is a frequently debated question and concern. In the early years of breast reconstruction, many surgeons delayed breast reconstruction for 5 years for this reason. It was assumed that if you waited for this period, the chance of cancer recurrence was extremely low. In the 80's, a few studies indicated that this immediate breast cancer did not effect breast cancer survival and this became the standard of care. Some studies have suggested that breast reconstruction may dealy the... more