Has anyone had implant reconstruction followed by radiation

mla88
mla88 Member Posts: 6
edited June 2014 in Genetic Testing

After having a lumpectomy and chemo earlier this year, I had finally decided to do prophylactic bi-lateral mastectomy direct to implant. However, my oncologist insists on radiation even though margins after the lumpectomy were clear, because she says there could be cancer cells in the skin still lurking. Because of the complications that sometimes arise with doing implant after radiation (muscle scar tissue making it less pliable) I thought that this order would be best and my surgeon agrees. However, now I am starting to worry about what effect the radiation will have on my implant. It seems there are no good solutions.

Has anyone had experience with this order of events?

Also has anyone consulted a doctor on BRVA? Someone mentioned it to me. It has something to do with regenerating fat tissue from your own tissue.

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  • MaxineO
    MaxineO Member Posts: 555
    edited November 2011

    I had a TE/one-step implant placed at the time of my MX and had it in place through radiation. The docs at my hospital told me they do it all the time.  I just had my exchange surgery last week (2 months post-rads) to put in a permanent silicone implant. No problems at all. There was probably more scar tissue due to rads, but no problem.  I'm thrilled with the results.

    My guess is that with your bmx, they will put in tissue expanders, and after you're done and healed from radiation, you will do the exchange to permanent implants.  Some docs say they won't do rads with anything in place, so you might want to get a 2nd opinion if they tell you that.

    Good luck. What you want is totally possible.

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  • 39mom2babies
    39mom2babies Member Posts: 46
    edited November 2011

    I had tissue expanders placed during the bmx.  Then I had radiation.  After the skin healed from the radiation (3 months) I had the implants put in.  No problems so far and that was a year and a half ago.

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  • sebalogh
    sebalogh Member Posts: 2
    edited February 2012

    Yes, I had bi-lateral masectomy surgery in August 2011.  Tissue expanders were placed at the time of surgery.  In October 2011 I exchanged the expanders for implants two weeks before I started radiation.  I've had no problems.  I also had nipple tatooing done in late December.  Left breast is still discolored from the radiation burn but is fading.

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  • SuperFoob
    SuperFoob Member Posts: 505
    edited February 2012

    Howdy!

    I had a Uni (left) NSM with implant and Dermal matrix (flexHD). I am currently doing Radiation...8th treatment today. So far so good. My RO did say that the chance of implant failure is 30-40%. if that happens, then a new implant could be placed. My BS, ONC, and PS all feel that it is better to do an implant in my case, rather than a TE. They feel that it is more difficult to do implants after radiation because of skin changes.

    I already did neo-adjuvant chemo.

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  • naturalhorse
    naturalhorse Member Posts: 33
    edited February 2012

    My BMX w/ TE was November 2010.  I then went through 3 cycles of chemo and 36 rads.  I had a couple of TE fills during chemo then waited until after rads to complete the fills.  My RO and PS were in agreement.  I had my exchange surgery at the same time as my oopherectomy in June 2011.

    One difference might be that I was small before BC (A+-B- cup) and was happy to remain that way.  expanding more than that  might have been a problem. 

    I hope you find the information you're looking for here.

    kc 

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