by Tiffany Rodriguez
This year, approximately 192,370 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and about 40, 170 women will die from the disease. Except for skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women today. It could also occur in men as well. Breast cancer is a cancer that starts in the tissues of the breast. People usually know they have breast cancer when they find a lump around the breast area, a change in the size, shape, or feel of the breast or nipple, or fluid coming out of the nipple.
One of the treatments for breast cancer, a mastectomy, is the surgical removal of the breast. Many women also decide to receive reconstruction immediately after the mastectomy to better cope with the psychological and aesthetic side effects of the surgery. There are two different kinds of reconstruction; autologous tissue reconstruction (ATR) and tissue expander and implant reconstruction (TE/I). ATR involves the placement of a tissue flap as a breast mound and TE/I involves placing an inflatable tissue expander over the chest wall and exchanging it for a permanent implant as a later date. Women also usually undergo radiation therapy after a mastectomy, which destroys cancerous tissue.
The article referred to a study done to determine which type of reconstruction performed on women who were receiving radiation after a mastectomy had an impact on their long-term outcomes. Ninety-two patients were observed for 38 months after their reconstruction and radiation treatments. It as found that ATR is better tolerated by breast cancer patients because it correlated with fewer long term difficulties and better cosmetic results. Thirty three perfect of TE/I patients needed surgery to correct issues while none of the ATR patient required anything. Eighty three percent of ATR patients reported to having a good cosmetic outcome compared to only 54 percent of TE/I patients.
I picked this article for many different reasons. Thankfully, no one in my family has ever been diagnosed with breast cancer but I am a part of a sorority who’s philanthropy is breast cancer education and awareness. We do many things to spread education and awareness and to raise money for breast cancer research. That is why this article caught my attention right away.
This article is a big help to those women who are diagnosed with breast cancer and want to receive reconstruction but are not sure which one to pick. The article makes it easy to decide because only one of the procedures is absolutely safe when undergoing radiation therapy post reconstruction. Breast cancer is something extremely difficult to deal with in a woman’s life. The removal of a breast could hurt the person emotionally and psychologically, so reconstruction becomes a big factor in their life at the moment. Making choices as to which path to take should be easy for the woman, and therefore, this article becomes extremely beneficial for those whom need it.
Source:
American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology. “Type Of Breast
- Reconstruction Impacts Radiation Therapy Outcomes, Study Finds.” ScienceDaily 7 December 2008. 1 October 2009 <http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2008/11/081120154509.htm>.
