A new development in tissue expansion technology could ease (and sped up) recovery for breast cancer patients. This improved method for helping skin regrowth after mastectomy is less invasive that previous methods and means fewer visits to the doctor during the treatment period.
Many women with breast cancer are faced with the possibility of having to get a mastectomy. Breast reconstruction can help restore a woman’s body following that surgery. There are many types of breast reconstruction techniques, some of which require a tissue expander to help create extra skin for an implant or new breast mound. For tissue expansion, a balloon is inserted into the chest and over the course of several months saline is periodically injected into the balloon, helping stimulate the body to grow extra skin. The tissue expansion process can be time and treatment intensive. Tissue expansion is preferable to a skin transplant because it offers a near-perfect match of skin color, sensation, and texture.
A Bay Area company has come up with an improved technique for tissue expansion, which is delivered by a remote operated by the patient. Instead of visiting the doctor every few weeks and having a needle placed in the breast area to deliver saline to a balloon, the patient simply presses a couple of buttons on a small, handheld controller and the inflation is delivered from a tiny reservoir of compressed CO2. Patients can operate the tissue expander at their own pace. Early data from the clinical trials suggests that optimal expansion and skin regrowth are achieve in 15 days as opposed to several months – the process is not only easier than traditional methods, but also requires less time.
While the device is still being researched, Dr. Rogers is excited by the possibilities it presents. “This is the type of progress that makes medicine a pleasure to practice and the experience less invasive to patients,” says Dr. Rogers.
Dr. Rogers dedicates 50% of his practice to breast reconstruction for women recovering from breast cancer and specializes in flap techniques that often require tissue expansion. Please see our website to learn more about the breast reconstruction options we offer.
If you are a breast cancer patient and are looking into breast reconstruction, please contact us to set up a consultation.
We also invite you to leave a message or ask a question using the comment section below. You may see your comments in a future blog post.
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
