Breast Reconstruction Update Blog

Probiotics can reduce risk of diarrhea caused by antibiotics, study finds

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Probiotics can reduce risk of diarrhea caused by antibiotics, study finds

Posted by noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Lin, MD) at 1:25 AM


Vitamin E in diet protects against many cancers, study suggests

Friday, May 04, 2012

Vitamin E in diet protects against many cancers, study suggests

Posted by noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Lin, MD) at 3:07 AM


Injectable contraceptives linked to breast cancer risk in younger women

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Injectable contraceptives linked to breast cancer risk in younger women

Posted by noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Lin, MD) at 12:30 AM


Eating cruciferous vegetables may improve breast cancer survival

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Here's a recent link for continuing a healthy diet



Eating cruciferous vegetables may improve breast cancer survival

Posted by noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Lin, MD) at 8:57 PM


Another reason to eat citrus

Wednesday, March 07, 2012

Just came across an article about eating citrus decreasing the risk of having a stroke,
sponsored by the National Institutes of Health...


Aedín Cassidy, Eric B. Rimm, Éilis J. O'Reilly, Giancarlo Logroscino, Colin Kay, Stephanie E. Chiuve, and Kathryn M. Rexrode. Dietary Flavonoids and Risk of Stroke in Women. Stroke, February 23 2012

Posted by noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Lin, MD) at 1:16 AM


Books

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Within the past week two patients gave me books related to breast cancer: Reconstructing Aphrodite by Terry Lorant and Places in the Bone by Dine... both very moving and I was certainly appreciative

Posted by noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Lin, MD) at 11:40 PM


Facebook

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

One of our patients from the practice posted a facebook page recently about her experience with breast cancer and breast reconstruction... it was very inspirational! Thank you!

Posted by noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Lin, MD) at 2:24 AM


San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Research was recently presented at the 2011 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Among the results were that generally the ratio between those having breast reconstruction after mastectomy was somewhat stable... 42% of women younger than 50 and 17% of women 50 and older underwent immediate breast reconstruction over a 10 year period. Notably there remain barriers but as a group we will continue educating our patients regarding the potential benefits of breast reconstruction.. Best wishes for the New Year!

Posted by noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Lin, MD) at 12:01 AM


Fall is in the air

Saturday, November 05, 2011

I saw one of my favorite patients today who had recently completed her reconstruction; I always know that when I see her it's usually been too long since I have registered something on the blog! seeing our patients remind us it is a special privilege to be able to help our breast cancer patients through reconstruction, one person at a time...

Posted by noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Lin, MD) at 4:18 AM


Walk for the Cure

Sunday, October 09, 2011

Members of our office and patients participated in the annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk last week and once again it was a important event bringing patients, family, and caregivers alike together for a single cause.....

Posted by noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Lin, MD) at 3:27 AM


Lipofilling of the breast following lumpectomy

Sunday, August 14, 2011

There continues to be more press about the technique of harvesting fat through liposuction from one area of the body and filling a lumpectomy defect of the breast in reconstruction, as evidenced by the article seen on the right column in WebMD... the concern is the longterm effects of fat in the remaining breast tissue whether or not that it affects surveillance, mammography or stimulates any cells from growing...

Posted by noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Lin, MD) at 1:40 AM


The Boston Channel

Friday, July 29, 2011

There was an article from our group posted this month on the Boston Channel (see below link) related to breast reconstruction using abdominal tissue while preserving muscle...
There are several options for breast reconstruction, and each may be better suited for each individual patient....

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/bethisrael/28472497/detail.html

Posted by noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Lin, MD) at 3:02 AM


Making the day

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Few things make a breast reconstructive surgeon's day more than the realization of a patient when a breast reconstruction has restored their sense of being whole....
Thanks very much to the individual who posted a comment on "Light of the End of the Tunnel"- it is also a tribute to our entire staff who help us take the best care of our patients!

Posted by noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Lin, MD) at 3:56 AM


Avoiding radiation

Thursday, July 21, 2011

I saw a patient this past week who was deciding between having a lumpectomy with radiation versus undergoing a complete mastectomy... Though everything depends on the pathology of the tumor, etc, and one's breast surgeon, indeed there are those patients who are able to have a mastectomy and avoid radiation altogether...

In reconstructive breast surgery, plastic surgeons ceratainly find the aspect of prior irradiation an important detail when planning a reconstruction

Posted by noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Lin, MD) at 3:38 AM


Light at the end of the tunnel

Friday, July 01, 2011

One of my favorite patients had her nipple-areola tattooing this past week and her husband had remarked to me what a difference breast reconstruction had made in her life... She was a patient who had, from the beginning, several decisions to make relating to chemotherapy and ultimately planning reconstruction. Breast reconstruction, to coordinate with planned therapy, is ultimately secondary to certainly cancer treatment, but a close second at that!

Posted by noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Lin, MD) at 12:58 AM


Partial mastectomy reconstruction

Monday, May 30, 2011

I just read about a recent development in Oregon, where the legislature at the end of May, voted to have insurance companies cover reconstruction of partial mastectomy patients, or patients having lumpectomies. Previously, only full or total mastectomies were covered in the state. This is a significant occurrence, as patients elsewhere may also may be able to have breast reconstruction, even in the cases of partial mastectomy.

Posted by noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Lin, MD) at 3:10 AM


Unilateral versus bilateral reconstruction timing

Saturday, May 14, 2011

We saw a patient this past week who had had bilateral breast reconstruction using abdominal tissue.... only at two different settings with mastectomies at different times... on one side a tissue expander was placed and the skin expanded over time following a mastectomy. At a later time, the other mastectomy was performed with immediate reconstruction using abdominal tissue along with removal of the original tissue expander followed by breast reconstruction using abdominal tissue...

Not to add too many varibles, but it is important that with bilateral reconstruction with abdominal tissue (one side immediate, the other side delayed), that the "outside" skin incisions, etc will look different...

Posted by noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Lin, MD) at 3:03 AM


Evening of Gratitude program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Saturday, April 30, 2011

This past week there was a special event at the medical center honoring cancer patients and their caregivers. One of our breast reconstruction patients made a generous donation to the medical center on my behalf. A very thoughtful, generous, and nice token of appreciation, and there are many folks at the hospital to also thank who make it possible to take the best care of our patients!

Posted by noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Lin, MD) at 9:03 PM


Caffeine and breast reconstructive flaps

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

I had a patient recently who was a 2-3 cup a day coffee consumer who asked about caffeine intake after surgery... indeed, there may be a situation where your plastic and reconstructive surgeon asks patients to decrease or even temporarily discontinue caffeine intake for a period of time after surgery to optimize wound healing... just a thought to perhaps be able to begin the taper-off period to avoid caffeine withdrawal headaches afterwards!

Posted by noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Lin, MD) at 3:16 AM


This past week

Sunday, April 10, 2011

I would like to thank a patient of mine who I saw this week who had undergone bilateral mastectomy with implant based reconstruction, and, at this point, bilateral nipple reconstruction... on course for her nipple-areolar tattooing. Her comment was that breast reconstruction, including the nipple-areola reconstruction, was more than simply just that.... it really completed a person's entire persona and feeling as a whole person.....

Posted by noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Lin, MD) at 3:35 PM


Breast Cancer Coordinated Care Conference in Washington DC

Thursday, February 03, 2011

The BC3 conference is going on in washington DC currently and there is an interesting section on partial breast reconstruction. This field was first popularized in Europe, and is currently increasing in frequency at centers in the US... Essentially, the technique revolves around reconstruction of a lumpectomy defect by a plastic and reconstructive surgeon following the excision of a breast mass by rearrangement of the breast tissue in order to preserve the breast shape as much as possible...

Posted by noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Lin, MD) at 8:09 PM


happy new year

Sunday, January 23, 2011

I recently read an article by the Independent (from the United Kingdom) relaying that at the Royal Marsden, 43 per cent of patients undergo reconstruction after a mastectomy - more than double the national UK average, according to last year's figures. It seems that although the number of patients who have had a mastectomy who have undergone reconstruction has increased in recent years, the number continues to be low; in this country, the number is likely no greater than 33%

Posted by noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Lin, MD) at 6:41 AM


New study from Daily News (Los Angeles 10/20)

Friday, October 22, 2010

A very recent report released this week stated that 43% of women diagnosed with breast cancer are not told about breast-reconstruction options from a survey by the nonprofit Cancer Support Community.

Also, nearly 88% of women who had discussed options with a surgeon were pleased with their subsequent decisions. These are the very numbers, that since the 1998 congressional act that allowed for breast reconstructive procedures to be covered under insurance that we are working towards improving....

Posted by noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Lin, MD) at 11:32 PM


Immediate vs. Delayed Reconstruction

Monday, October 11, 2010

There are many factors that go into the decision regarding the timing of breast reconstruction. Sometimes women prefer to proceed with a mastectomy and other needed cancer treatment, leaving the question of possible reconstruction for later. Sometimes there are clear medical reasons why a delay is preferable, and sometimes women strongly prefer a single major surgery and awakening with a "new" breast.
As breast reconstruction has become increasingly common, there have been more studies to determine the best and safest practice in a range of situations. Two recent studies have provided information about instances in which delayed reconstruction is safer and have been reassuring about chemotherapy, either pre or post surgery, not causing additional complications.
One study from Dr. Rodney Pommier and colleagues at the Oregon Health and Sciences University found that complications after radiation occurred in 44% of women who had immediate reconstruction and only 7% of women who did not (and who, presumably, had reconstruction later or not at all). Dr. Pommier suggests that sentinel node biopsies prior to mastectomy surgery will often identify those women who will likely need post-operative radiation therapy, and further discussion can then include the higher risk of complications from this course. At BIDMC, women who anticipate radiation therapy are often counseled to delay reconstruction until later.
The other study from UCSF found that women who had chemotherapy, either pre or post surgery, were no more likely to have surgical complications than women who did not receive chemotherapy. Thirty-one percent of women studied had a complication that required a second surgery, but the incidence was the same among women who had chemotherapy and those who did not.
If you would like to read more:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100920172632.htm

All of this supports the need to have thoughtful discussions with your doctors as you consider your surgical options. No single course is best for all women, but we are increasingly able to individualize recommendations and understand the best choices for women making these difficult decisions.



Posted by noreply@blogger.com (Hester Hill Schnipper, LICSW) at 8:36 PM


2010 Making Strides Walk for Breast Cancer

Wednesday, October 06, 2010

This past sunday our nurse Maria walked and raised funds for Breast cancer research along with several breast reconstruction patients from our practice. Hopefully it wasn't too windy out during the day, but I hear that the walk was truly inspirational with many others whose lives have been affected by breast cancer also out for the afternoon - Congratulations to all!

Posted by noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Lin, MD) at 4:52 PM