The Effects of Radiation in Reconstructed Breasts

Immediate breast reconstruction following mastectomy has become an increasingly popular and accepted treatment option among breast cancer patients. This change in practice has resulted in a significant number of patients who undergo radiation therapy after breast reconstruction. Following irradiation, the reconstructed breast often experiences fibrotic contracture, volume loss, altered pigmentation, or some combination thereof, producing an asymmetric and aesthetically compromised result. The effects of radiation on reconstructed breasts as well as the implications that such changes have for timing of reconstructive surgery, post-operative management and surveillance imaging are topics of growing importance in plastic surgery, radiology and surgical oncology.