Dear Radiation Oncology Insider,
The subject of breast reconstruction may generate more anxiety for breast cancer patients than the mastectomy which precedes it. Many women believe that the "success" of breast reconstruction is determined solely by the breast surgeon they select, and there is great truth in this belief.
But just as the majority of healthy women who want breast augmentation are not warned by plastic surgeons about how much more difficult their mammograms will be, many women are also not adequately briefed about potential difficulties, risks, and complications of breast reconstruction, including the impact of radiation therapy.
This edition's Insider Exclusive focuses on the lack of consensus among physicians about the timing and type of breast reconstruction protocols recommended for breast cancer patients who need radiation therapy. We report on a debate published in the New England Journal of Medicine and the results of a recently published study comparing long-term outcomes.
When researching this article, I heard many off-the-record comments from radiation oncologists that their opinions and recommendations were neither sought nor included in planning a patient's treatment. Several radiation oncologists who received referrals exclusively from independent breast surgeons unaffiliated with cancer centers expressed concern that some of their patients were never advised about complications from radiation therapy. Perhaps this article will motivate you and your colleagues to conduct much needed long-term outcome studies to shed more light on the subject.
In other breast unawareness news, staff writer Kate Madden Yee reports on a study conducted at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center that indicates a large number of young women who received radiation treatments for childhood cancer, including pediatric Hodgkin's survivors, are unaware of the guidelines recommending that they start receiving mammograms at a younger age. Click here to read this disquieting report.
Moving on to the good news, new radiation protocols are making ototoxicity less of a risk for pediatric patients with medulloblastomas and adults with acoustic neuromas. We think you'll find both of these articles of interest, as well as the other subjects listed below in your Radiation Oncology Digital Community.
