A breakthrough experimental treatment using stem cells in breast reconstruction, which has implications for other reconstructive surgeries as well as breast augmentation, was announced Saturday at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. More extensive trials are needed but the initial results are very encouraging.
Current treatments for breast cancer include lumpectomy and radiation treatment, which are more conservative than mastectomy and reconstruction with an implant, but these more conservative approaches may result in deformity that is harder to reconstruct, because the use of mini-implants to replace tissue removed in lumpectomies are not a normal procedure.
While there have been attempts to replace missing tissue with fat obtained from other sites in the body, these grafts have generally not been successful.
A new technique, tested on 21 patients in a trial at Kyushu University in Japan, (see diagram) involves using fat harvested through liposection and stem cells processed from the patient’s fat to create a stem-cell enhanced graft that appears to be more successful in reconstructing breasts after lumpectomy and/or radiation treatment. The research is part of stem cell research programs by Cytori, which may lead to alternative treatments for both breast reconstruction, breast augmentation, and repair of cardiovascular damage.
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An interesting post that shows the importance of stem cell research. This would be a blessing for all women facing breast reconstructive surgery after lumpectomy or mastectomy.
b/a with stemcells is already in use today. there is at least one clinic in Japan and one in Austria which offer this treatment. according to Dr. Karl-Georg Heinrich who offers the method in Austria breast size can be increased up to two cup sizes using this method. Hopefully research will give doctors the ability to cure tissue damages caused by a mastectomy or another accident.
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