Lumpectomy Revision after Radiation

 

Lumpectomy with radiation is commonly the preferred option presented to women diagnosed with breast cancer. Despite the advantages however, women are rarely informed of the potential negatives of this approach when it comes to subsequent breast deformities that can result. Some deformities are mild, but in many cases the deformities may be severe. These deformities can be prevented or corrected with judicious oncoplastic surgery to minimize the deformity, and frequently reducing or lifting the other breast to achieve symmetry. 

 

Unfortunately with lumpectomy surgery, radiation therapy that usually accompanies it, and all too frequently, women treated with lumpectomy and radiation, end up with severely deformed breasts with associated radiation complications, ranging from mild skin issues and tissue contraction, to severe tissue breakdown and failure to heal. Even with careful oncoplastic surgery to minimise lumpectomy surgery defects, the effects of radiation may actually worsen over time, creating problems that are not immediately apparent.