Plastic Surgery For At-Risk Breast Cancer Patients

An article appearing in the January/February issue of the Aesthetic Surgery Journal suggests that patients considering elective breast surgery would gain ultimately improved results after being assessed for breast cancer risk. The article also provides guidelines for plastic surgeons to help women determine breast cancer risk, as well as the most successful options for surgical intervention and breast reconstruction.

There are many risk factors associated with breast cancer, family history probably being the most prevalent. Although these risk factors don’t always mean any woman can or cannot get diagnosed with breast cancer. Estimates predict one out of every eight women will develop breast cancer at some point in her lifetime. That is why it is so important to have regular screenings, either using MRI or mammography to detect the presence of breast cancer, and even genetic testing to determine the risk of developing breast cancer in the future.

"Genetic testing, such as that for BRCA1 and BRCA2 (genes associated with breast cancer), has allowed clinicians to better tailor risk management strategies in patients from families with hereditary breast cancer," said Hooman Soltanian, MD, lead author of the piece. "Plastic surgeons are in a unique position to provide early preventative options to their patients."

In Phoenix cosmetic surgeon Dr. Geoffrey Leber, who is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and board certified for the American Board of Plastic Surgery also stresses the importance of breast implant safety education especially amongst those at risk for breast cancer.

Early intervention with particularly high risk women can mean they can choose from more surgical and reconstructive procedures. Also, reconstructive surgery and aesthetic plastic surgery of the breasts, such as Phoenix breast lift surgery (Mastopexy) if done at the same time, can also optimize the cosmetic results.

Even for women simply seeking aesthetic breast surgery, Phoenix breast implants specialist Dr. Leber says that determining breast cancer risk sooner rather than later can help in choosing the best course of action, and ultimately achieve the best possible results.

Plastic surgery Phoenix patients of Dr. Leber always get a fully informational consultation, in which he discusses the medical risks, care, and technology associated with the procedure in question. The ASAPS suggests the following guidelines for aesthetic breast surgery patients who are at a higher risk for breast cancer:

•Prior to every elective breast surgery, special attention should be paid to any family history of breast or ovarian cancer.

• Patients who are at high risk for breast cancer based on their personal and family history should be referred for further evaluation by a medical oncologist and/or geneticist.

• Every woman 40 years of age and older should have a mammogram prior to an elective breast procedure. Some even recommend a preoperative mammogram in all women undergoing cosmetic breast surgery.

• It is important to note that breast augmentation, reduction, mastopexy (breast lift) and implants may have significant consequences in screening and surveillance of breast cancer, specifically with regard to future mammographic evaluation. A new mammogram should be obtained three-to-six months after surgery, to serve as the new baseline for evaluation.

• Ultrasound studies and MRI may be used to further evaluate patients with difficult or unsatisfactory mammograms.

For more information on this article discussed by the ASAPS please visit: http://www.surgery.org/press/news-release.php?iid=492.