Breast Reconstruction after Breast Cancer
Today, breast reconstruction can be successfully performed for patients who have lost their breast due to breast cancer or other reasons.
There are lots of options available for reconstruction of breasts. We can categorize these options into two groups as breast reconstruction using the person’s own tissues and breast reconstruction using breast implants and tissue expanders.
For the breast reconstructions performed with the person’s own tissues, tissues can be grafted from the person’s abdomen, dorsal region, buttocks, groin or similar regions. I frequently harvest the tissues from abdominal and dorsal regions. Whereas the tissues can be harvested from the abdominal region using microsurgical methods, the blood buildup may be rendered reliable in two sessions and the tissues can be transferred. If the tissues harvested from the dorsal region alone are not enough, a breast implant may be inserted beneath these tissues to reconstruct the breast.
Tissue expanders or implants are preferred for the patients who do not have sufficient breast tissue after the surgery, who have sufficient breast skin but does not prefer use of their own tissues or whose own tissues are not suitable for this surgery. In case of nipple loss after 3 to 6 months after reconstructing the breast, the nipple reconstruction may be redone and the asymmetries compared with the other breast is corrected.
It is best if the patient and the doctor decide together on the operations to be performed. However, I tell my patients who will undergo breast reconstruction surgery that we will join hands and cooperate in a general sense and we will embark upon a long journey, this journey will take 1 to 1.5 years, it is possible for us to stumble and go back to the beginning, but we will complete this journey one way or the other. I ask them if they are ready to hold my hand and take this journey with me and tell them that we can go on this journey if they are ready and that I will never let go of their hand unless they do so. Like I said, it is a challenging road with lots of obstacles. However, I believe it is every woman’s right to regain their breasts, which are the icon of womanhood and symbol of motherhood and fertility and I believe that they should be supported all the way regarding this subject.
Günümüzde meme kanseri sonrasında veya daha başka sebeplerle memesini kaybetmiş olan hastalara plastik cerrahi tarafından yeniden meme yapımı çok başarılı bir şekilde yapılmaktadır.
Meme onarımı için oldukça fazla seçenek bulunmaktadır. İki ana başlık altında toplayacak olursak kişinin kendi dokuları kullanılarak yapılan meme onarımları ve meme protezleri ve doku genişletici kullanılarak yapılan meme onarımları.
Kişinin kendi dokusu kullanılarak yapılan meme onarılmarı için kişinin karın bölgesi, sırt bölgesi, poposu, kasık bölgesi ve benzer bölgeleri kullanılabilir. Ben sıklıkla karın bölgesini ve sırt bölgesini kullanmaktayım. karın bölgesinden dokular mikrocerrahi yöntemleri kullanılarak getirilebileceği gibi, kanlanması iki seansta güvenilir hale getirilerek dokuların transfer edilmeside mümkündür. Sırt bölgesinden getirilen dokular tek başına yeterli olmazsa altına bir protez konularak ile meme onarımı yapmak mümkündür.
Doku genişletici veya protezler ise ameliyat sonrasında yeterli meme bölgesinde yeterli dokusu olmayan, yeterli meme derisi var ama kendi dokusunun kullanılmasını istemeyen hastalar yada kendi dokusunun bu işlem için uygun olmadığı hastalarda tercih edilir. Meme yapıldıktan sonra 3-6 ay sonra meme başı korunamayan hastalara yeni meme başı yapılır ve diğer meme ile olan asimetriler giderilir.
Tüm bu yapılacak operasyonlara hekim ile hastanın ortak karar vermesi en doğru olanıdır. Ancak ben meme onarımı yapacağım hastalara genel anlamda elele vereceğimizi ve birlikte uzun bir yolculuğa çıkacağımızı, bu yolculuğun 1-1.5 yıl süreceği, yolculuk esnasında tökezleyip tekrar başa dönebileceğimizi ama eninde sonunda bu yolculuğu bitireceğimizi söylüyorum. Elimi tutmaya ve bu yolculuğa hazır olup olmadığını sorup, benim elimi bırakmadığınız sürece sizin elinizi asla bırakmayacağımı belirterek yolculuğa hazırsanız çıkabiliriz diyorum. Dediğim gibi zor ve engebelerle dolu bir yol bu. Ancak kadınlığın timsali, anneliğin ve doğurganlığın sembolü olan memelerin yeniden kazanılmasının her kadının hakkı olduğunu düşünmekte ve onlara bu konuda sonuna kadar destek olunması kanaatindeyim.
Breast Reconstruction after Breast Cancer Increases Quality of Life of Patients.
Breast reconstruction after treatment of breast cancer is becoming increasingly important for renormalizing the lives of patients. ⠀
Breast reconstructions are considered as a part of the breast cancer treatment. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has made it obligatory to inform all breast cancer patients on breast reconstruction during treatment. Breast cancer patients should request for relevant detailed information from their doctors.
Breast reconstruction after breast cancer increases the quality of life of patients, helping them become better both psychologically and physically.
When is Breast Reconstruction Done? What Factors Determine the Timing?
Breast reconstruction is a surgery performed to reconstruct in a natural way the breast tissue lost due to breast cancer. Breast reconstruction is not a cosmetic surgery, but a reconstruction. Thanks to the developments in medicine, surgeons can now reconstruct breasts that look just like natural breasts. Breast Reconstruction that provides women with self-esteem, quality of life and psychological power means a new beginning, a better hang on to life and happiness for most cancer patients. This also supports their fight against the cancer.
Breast reconstruction may be concurrently performed with the breast cancer surgery or separately after the treatments (radiotherapy, chemotherapy, etc.) are completed. However, the reconstructions to be done with synthetic implants should be postponed to a further date for patients who will receive radiotherapy after the operation.
Can the Reconstructed Breast after Breast Cancer be Symmetrical to the Other Breast?
Breast reconstruction is highly important for women who has undergone breast cancer operation. Removal of the breast significantly affects the psychology of any woman. The advancements in the breast reconstruction are highly important in terms of the psychology of the women who have lost their breast after breast cancer.
In case the breast reconstruction is unilateral, the patients should not expect the reconstructed breast to be symmetrical to the other breast after the surgery. The breast reconstructed with the patient’s own fat tissue or a breast implant will look more lifted, smaller and younger than the existing breast. ⠀
In order to make sure both breasts look harmonious and symmetrical, several operations may be performed on the other breast as well depending on the condition of the breast.
The other breast may be made look more harmonious with and symmetrical to the newly reconstructed breast with breast lift, reduction or augmentation surgeries (depending on the need of the breast).
