Posts Tagged ‘breast reconstruction’

Nipple Sparing Mastectomy gives Breast Cancer Patients A Third Safe Surgery Option for Breast Reconstruction

Friday, November 4th, 2011


A new study published in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery found that some women who need a lumpectomy or mastectomy have a third, perfectly safe option for treatment. The NSM or Nipple Sparing Mastectomy.

There are essentially two main paths for surgery when breast cancer is detected. The first less aggressive is just to remove the lump and the tissue around it (lumpectomy). The second is to remove the entire breast. Obviously the first option is less damaging and leaves a women’s breast looking relatively normal, but it carries an 8-12 % risk of a recurrence, whereas the second removes the entire breast which can be traumatic in and of itself, before considering the issues of the cancer.
The third option now becoming more common is the nipple saving mastectomy, which leaves the skin, nipple and peripheral breast tissue intact. It also allows for immediate reconstructive surgery, meaning a quicker overall recovery time and less psychological trauma for the women having breast surgery.

Dr. Scott Spear, chairman of the department of plastic surgery at Georgetown University Hospital and co-author of the study said “Nipple sparing mastectomy as compared to other forms of mastectomy is becoming more common, and the surgery is usually successful in terms of achieving good breast reconstruction with a low risk of complications … There’s a low risk of finding breast cancer or disease beneath the nipple in those patients who are offered nipple sparing mastectomy.”

To read the full article, click HERE.

Call Dr. Kapp today at (561) 833-4022 for more information on this surgical option for breast reconstruction. 

 

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Breast Procedures, Dr. Kapp's Blog, Reconstructive Surgery No Comments »

Breast Cancer Patients Seek More Information on Breast Reconstruction

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

About ten years ago, Dr. Daniel Kapp studied the effect of the Women’s Heath and Cancer Rights Act of 1998 on the numbers of breast reconstruction surgeries being performed. This is the law that requires insurers to provide coverage for breast reconstruction. We found a tremendous increase in breast reconstruction when insurers were required to pay for the costs. While all insurers are required to cover breast reconstruction, many women are poorly informed about their needs and rights regarding the procedure. Below is more information on this topic.

It is important to understand the process of breast cancer management. There are many online resources for patients seeking information on breast reconstruction. My favorite sites are The American Cancer Society and American Society of Plastic Surgeons. It is also worthwhile to attend a public seminar on breast cancer to learn about the process by which doctors care for breast cancer patients. Of course, when ever I have an opportunity, I always like to teach my patients about breast cancer reconstruction. Better informed patients are better consumers of health care.

It is also important to me personally to show support for the breast cancer survivors who I treat and all others in our community. I am a sponsor of Fashioning A Cure, a fashion show celebrating cancer survivors by Friends 4 Cancer Research a 501c3 corporation. 100% of all proceeds from this event will directly benefit the Kristin Hoke Breast Health Center at Jupiter Medical Center. Please celebrate with us on Saturday May 14, 2011 at The Gardens Mall on PGA Blvd. at 12:30pm for a fashion show, wine, fine food, and lots of fun. For more information please visit www.f4cr.org or e-mail friends4cancer@gmail.com.

Breast Reconstruction and Patient Information
A recent survey of 762 breast cancer patients who were eligible for breast reconstruction found that 43 percent did not receive information about breast reconstruction options when making treatment decisions at diagnosis.

Kim Thiboldeaux, president and CEO of the nonprofit Cancer Support Community (CSC), which conducted the survey, said, “It is critical that women get information on breast reconstruction early on because it can be an important part of quality of life and image. I think there is a lot of attention focused on treatment and curing cancer and sometimes in the health care system, reconstruction becomes a secondary concern.”

In response to the survey, the CSC is creating a program that streamlines information about breast reconstruction called Frankly Speaking about Cancer: Spotlight on Breast Reconstruction. The program will include 75 free, patient education workshops scheduled to take place throughout the U.S. in 2011 and 2012; a comprehensive patient education breast reconstruction resource guide; and multimedia education tools and online web content to engage women in discussions around breast reconstruction.
What information are women looking for about breast reconstruction? The survey found that women wished they knew more about the following:

• How they would feel after reconstruction (31%)
• How they would look after reconstruction (31%)
• Future breast health (23%)
• Details of each procedure (15%)
• Risks and benefits of reconstruction at the point of mastectomy vs. at a later point (14%)

According to the breast cancer patients surveyed, there are a variety of sources they currently use to get information about breast reconstruction, in addition to their health care team, including:

• Breast cancer patients and survivors (56%)
• Internet (50%)
• Friends and family (35%)
• Medical literature (34%)
• Online communities (29%)

Physical appearance and body image were the most influential factors in their decision to undergo reconstruction, while financial concerns and the opinions of others had the least influence, according to the survey.

The survey also found that 60 percent of respondents opted for breast reconstruction following a partial or full mastectomy and 87 percent of respondents who discussed breast reconstruction options with a plastic surgeon reported that they were mostly or extremely satisfied with their decision to undergo breast reconstruction.

Call Dr. Daniel Kapp today at (561) 833-4022 to learn more about breast reconstruction.  You should feel comfortable that he will spend as much time as necessary to answer all of your questions and provide you with thorough information.

Tags: ,
Posted in Breast Procedures, Dr. Kapp's Blog, News No Comments »

Breast Reduction or Breast Lift?

Thursday, February 10th, 2011

 

Patients are frequently dissatisfied that their breasts are both too large and too droopy. The question they want answered is, should they have a breast reduction or a breast lift? The answer depends on many factors such as how big are a patient’s breasts and how much smaller does she want them. Understanding the differences between the two surgeries will help.

 

 

 

 

 

BREAST REDUCTION
The primary purpose of a breast reduction is to make a woman’s breasts smaller. In doing so, most techniques also lift the breast while also elevating and reducing the size of the areola. Contrary to what most patients think, the nipple and areola are almost always left attached to the breast so sensation can be preserved as is the ability to breast-feed. How much smaller a breast gets depends on the wishes of the patient as well as their overall size.

 

As a general rule, for a breast reduction to be paid for by a health insurance company, about 500 grams of tissue need to be removed per breast. In rough volume terms, this is about 16 ounces, which is a substantial amount in most women. Since so much mass is removed, many women experience improvement in symptoms related to large breasts such as back, neck, and shoulder pain. Likewise, athletic activities are easy and clothing can fit better.

 

Breast reductions almost uniformly require incisions around the areola and down the front of the breast; frequently, there is also an incision in the fold underneath the breast, which is known as the “anchor” incision.

 

 

 

 

BREAST LIFT
The primary purpose of a breast lift is to improve the shape of a droopy (ptotic) breast. The areola and the majority of the breast are elevated above the fold under the breast. Some reduction in size is necessary with a lift, and often a patient may decide to have a significant amount of breast tissue removed at the same time.  An operation is often considered a lift when less than 500 grams of tissue are removed and a reduction when more than 500 grams are removed. Breast lifts by definition are never paid for by insurance companies unless the patient is undergoing breast reconstruction.

 

Lifts involve a variety of incisions, depending on how much excess skin exists. A minimal lift involves an incision around the areola, a moderate lift adds an incision down the front of the breast, and significant lift also requires an incision in the fold under the breast. As with a reduction, the nipple-areola is left attached to the breast preserving nipple sensation and the ability to breast-feed.

 

A shortcoming of a breast lift is that it does not reliably restore fullness in the upper part of a woman’s breast. Women who want this fullness may choose to have a breast implant placed either at the time of their lift or at a second operation.

 

 

 

 

SUMMARY
When carefully chosen to meet the individual patient’s needs, both breast reductions and breast lifts can result in significant patient satisfaction. Dr. Kapp can help you decide which is best for you.

Tags: ,
Posted in Breast Procedures, Dr. Kapp's Blog No Comments »

Dr. Daniel Kapp Now Offering LifeCell Tissue Matrices for Breast Reconstruction

Thursday, August 5th, 2010

 

LifeCell Tissue Matrices: advantages for women considering device (implant) breast reconstruction after mastectomy.

For many patients, preparing to have breast reconstruction after a mastectomy can be a difficult and emotional experience. You may feel anxious about having another surgery, worried about possible complications, and concerned about the way you will look and feel after the procedure is completed.
LifeCell Tissue Matrices offer a solution for the limitations of other tissue expander (TE)/implant techniques.

Over the last several decades, in an effort to achieve better aesthetic results for their patients, surgeons have increasingly switched from full muscle coverage to partial muscle coverage techniques for breast reconstruction procedures. Full muscle coverage has a number of benefits, but it also has numerous limitations. Over time, some surgeons migrated to partial muscle coverage for many of their patients because it provided a number of benefits that directly answered the limitations of full muscle coverage. Although partial muscle coverage provided many new benefits, it came with a host of limitations all its own.

LifeCell Tissue Matrices help Dr. Kapp attain optimum aesthetic outcomes for his patients without an increased risk of complications.

LifeCell Tissue Matrices:

  • Provide an additional layer of tissue that may help hide implant visibility
  • Provide additional tissue creating a hammock that allows for a natural looking breast
  • Help control the location of the implant and to define the breast fold

For more information about LifeCell Tissue Matrices call Dr. Daniel Kapp today at (561) 833-4022 to schedule your consultation.

*This blog post contains content directly from www.lifecell.com.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Breast Procedures, Dr. Kapp's Blog No Comments »