Bilateral reduction mammoplasty following breast cancer: A case-control study.

Symptoms of breast hypertrophy can affect post-treatment breast cancer patients. The true incidence of breast hypertrophy in the breast cancer population is unknown, as is the number of such patients seeking reduction mammoplasty surgery following breast cancer treatment. These patients have usually undergone lumpectomies followed by postoperative radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Although there can be changes in the shape and size of the treated breast as a result of lumpectomy and radiation, it is usually minimal in nature, resulting in, at most, asymmetry (1,2). In the macromastic patient, symptoms of interscapular back pain, prominent shoulder grooving, and intertrigo along the inframammary folds or between the breasts remain despite the described changes to the cancer-afflicted breast. Numerous publications regarding breast reconstruction following irradiation report that the radiated breast site is more prone to complications than the nonradiated breast (2–5). Currently, little information has been published regarding reduction mammoplasties performed on women previously treated for breast cancer. The radiated breast is expected to exhibit a likelihood of delayed wound healing, increased postoperative complications and less pleasing final results. In addition, it is unclear whether reduction mammoplasty in the radiated breast can be safely performed without interfering with mammography and cancer surveillance. We sought to review the outcomes of patients who underwent bilateral reduction mammoplasty following lumpectomy and radiation for breast cancer. The primary focus of the present study was the subsequent complications and need for additional surgery in this (particular?) patient population.