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Reconstruction for IBC patients?

Page last modified on: October 16, 2008

Question from Mare Kirschenbaum: Would you please talk about inflammatory breast cancer patients having reconstruction? If IBC patients have a recurrence before two years, can't this be a dangerous issue? Thank you.: Answers —Jennifer Sabol, M.D., F.A.C.S.: Inflammatory breast cancer patients need to keep in mind when they choose their reconstructive techniques that they will require a mastectomy, chemotherapy, and chest wall radiation to keep their disease in check. While it is true that inflammatory cancers tend to behave more aggressively, we are now starting to realize that those patients who respond well to chemotherapy can have a very good long-term outcome and that these patients should be offered reconstruction just as any other breast cancer patient with a lesser stage disease. We do not find that a reconstruction diminishes the patient's ability to survive their cancer or accept treatment in the form of chemotherapy or radiation, or hinders our ability to detect a local recurrence.; Joseph Serletti, M.D., F.A.C.S.: I can't even begin to estimate how many patients who have had inflammatory breast cancer that we have routinely moved ahead with breast reconstruction on. We have certainly never excluded a patient based on the diagnosis of inflammatory breast cancer and have generally had excellent long-term results in those patients.

On Wednesday, May 16, 2007, the Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Reconstruction Updates. Joseph Serletti, M.D. and moderator Jennifer Sabol, M.D. answered your questions about breast reconstruction.

The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.

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Meet the Experts

Joseph M. Serletti, M.D., F.A.C.S. is professor of surgery and chief of the Division of Plastic Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a pioneer in the field of free flap autologous breast reconstruction.

Jennifer Sabol, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a breast surgeon who directs the newly developed Breast Care Center at Lankenau Hospital in Wynnewood, Pa. Among her many interests, Dr. Sabol spearheads several research initiatives to advance the care for women with breast cancer and improve methods of breast cancer detection and treatment.