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ECCO 2017 | Breast reconstruction in case of radiation therapy – recommendations for clinical practice

Marc Mureau MD, PhD of Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands gives an overview his talk on breast reconstruction in case of radiotherapy held at the European Cancer Congress of the European Cancer Organisation (ECCO) 2017 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Around one-third of patients need radiation therapy after breast cancer treatment and approximately one-third of patient receive immediate breast reconstruction. Dr Mureau explains that an increasing number of patients ask for immediate breast reconstruction but they also need radiation. Radiation can have detrimental effects on breast reconstruction as Dr Mureau explains. He further explains that the evidence shows that there is a fairly increased risk of complication and implant failure after immediate implant breast reconstruction and post-mastectomy radiation therapy. Breast reconstruction is also possible with autologous tissue and these cases, the negative effects of radiation therapy on the reconstruction are less clear and can vary more. Overall, for patients who opt for immediate breast reconstruction and who need radiation therapy afterwards, the evidence points toward autologous reconstruction compared to implant reconstruction.
Recorded at the European Cancer Congress of the European Cancer Organisation (ECCO) 2017 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.