Intermountain Health Surgeons Offer Options and Advances in Breast Cancer Reconstructive Surgery

It is estimated by the American Cancer Society that nearly 300,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in 2023. That means women in the United States currently have a one in eight chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer.

Dealing with a diagnosis of breast cancer is always a traumatic ordeal. Breast cancer can be even more stressful because of the visible nature of the disease. Whether it is the prospect of temporarily losing hair from chemotherapy, or the loss of a portion or all of one or both breasts, these are often significant symbols of a woman’s self-image.

Unfortunately, studies have shown that more than 75% of women do not know all the options and results available to them for reconstruction after mastectomy or lumpectomy.

And only 19% of women understand that the timing of their treatment for breast cancer and the timing of their decision to undergo reconstruction greatly impacts their options and results.

In the face of a breast cancer diagnosis, most patients’ thoughts are a flurry of concerns about survival rates, treatments, appearance, and the overall impact on their life and loved ones.

It’s a conversation that Dr. Christopher Shale, Intermountain Health plastic and reconstructive surgeon, has on a regular basis with patients.

“Whenever I see a cancer patient, I start with emphasizing the fact that the most important thing is dealing with the cancer,” Dr. Shale said. “After that, I tell them, they have options when it comes to reconstruction and educate the patients so they can make the decision that is best for them.”

Although there are many breast cancer patients who have no interest in reconstructive surgery, Dr. Shale said there are studies that show that for a significant percentage of women, having some sort of breast reconstruction is very beneficial to them emotionally.

“The conversation usually starts with the general surgeon who performs the cancer surgery,” said Dr. Shale “But it’s important to know the options even before the cancer removal surgery because there are often cases where the reconstruction can take place at the same time.”

Microsurgical Breast Reconstruction using a patient’s own tissue is currently the gold standard for reconstruction.

What is Microvascular Breast Reconstruction? 
Microvascular breast reconstruction uses the DIEP (deep inferior epigastric perforator) method to restore the breast using a patient’s skin and fatty tissue. DIEP only takes the skin, fat, blood vessels, and sensory nerves.

“This living tissue reconstruction done at Intermountain facilities, leaves the muscle,” said Dr. Shale. “With these DIEP or DIEP Flaps, abdominal wall complication rates drop down from 0 to 3 percent. So, it is a huge winner with our patients.”

Microvascular breast reconstruction is offered by plastic surgeons at Intermountain Medical Center, Intermountain McKay-Dee, Intermountain LDS and Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital.

Breast Reconstruction Awareness (BRA) Day Events
To recognize and celebrate survivors of breast cancer who have undergone breast reconstruction, Intermountain Health hosted several Breast Reconstruction Awareness events that included music, balloons, food, and a bra decorating contest.  The events were designed for breast cancer patients, survivors, and family members to celebrate and meet with surgeons to learn more about the advances in breast reconstruction surgery and other treatment options.

“It’s triple the celebration this year!” said Dr. Shale “We get to celebrate our survivors, talk about options, education, and give the public a chance to get to know the whole Intermountain Health team of caregivers across the state.”

For more information on breast reconstruction visit here.

About Intermountain Health

Headquartered in Utah with locations in seven states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a nonprofit system of 33 hospitals, 385 clinics, medical groups with some 3,900 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For more information or updates, see https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.