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ABSTRACT: Background
With developments in screening and treatment, survival rates of breast cancer patients are increasing, and so is the number of women opting for breast reconstruction to improve their quality of life. One factor that could play an important role in improving the quality of life is breast sensibility. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore breast sensibility in participants of the Breast Reconstruction with External Preexpansion and Autologous Fat Transfer versus Standard Therapy trial: an ongoing randomized controlled trial comparing breast reconstruction with autologous fat transfer (AFT) versus implant-based reconstruction (IBR).Methods
This study was conducted on participants of the Breast Reconstruction with External Preexpansion and Autologous Fat Transfer versus Standard Therapy trial who were at least 12 months after final surgery. Semmes-Weinstein monofilaments were used to measure skin sensibility in breast cancer patients who underwent breast reconstruction with either AFT or IBR following their mastectomy.Results
A total of 46 patients were included in this study, resulting in 62 breast reconstructions (28 AFT breasts and 34 IBR breasts). Significantly higher mean monofilament values were found for skin sensibility after AFT (-0.7; P < 0.001), clinically correlating to "diminished protective function," as opposed to the IBR group, with clinical values indicating "loss of protective function."Conclusions
In this study, the authors found that breast cancer patients who underwent a mastectomy had a significantly better sensibility of the breast following AFT for total breast reconstruction as compared with IBR. Larger studies that include null measurements are required to further explore these noteworthy results of AFT.Clinical question/level of evidence
Therapeutic, II.
SUBMITTER: Wederfoort JLM
PROVIDER: S-EPMC10802979 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

Wederfoort Jamilla L M JLM Schop Sander S van der Broeck Lotte C A LCA Hommes Juliette E JE van Kuijk Sander M J SMJ Timmermans Floyd F Smit Jan Maerten JM Heuts Esther M EM de Wit Thijs T van der Hulst René R W J RRWJ Piatkowski Andrzej A AA
Plastic and reconstructive surgery 20230428 2
<h4>Background</h4>With developments in screening and treatment, survival rates of breast cancer patients are increasing, and so is the number of women opting for breast reconstruction to improve their quality of life. One factor that could play an important role in improving the quality of life is breast sensibility. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore breast sensibility in participants of the Breast Reconstruction with External Preexpansion and Autologous Fat Transfer versus Standa ...[more]