Implants after radiation

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pesky904
pesky904 Member Posts: 402
edited February 2019 in Breast Reconstruction

How many people had implants placed a year or more after radiation, and what types of issues did you have?

I had a double mastectomy in November 2017 and I had radiation that ended March 1, 2018 - my tissue expanders were in place during radiation. I'm just over two months out from having my exchange surgery.

A month after the exchange surgery, I felt a tiny pea-sized lump in the exact spot where my original tumor was. It didn't even show up on MRI or ultrasound. Now just over two months out from surgery, that lump has gotten bigger. The entire breast is firmer and I have another lump now in my armpit.

The surgeon explained this as "tissue that had separated during surgery that is now coming back together."

I really want to just accept this and not do anything else. But I'm extremely high risk for recurrence. I was triple negative, 6 cm tumor (that grew to 10cm on Taxol, then shrunk to 3cm on AC before surgery). At my mastectomy, the surgeon was very concerned he wouldn't get negative margins. The margin ended up being less than a millimeter.

I've talked to friends in real life who had breast cancer and none of them have had any lumps after their surgery. So I'm looking for people who had radiation, then had exchange surgery and if you had lumps, how were they checked out and what did they end up being? Did they show up on imaging? Did you get a biopsy? Did you do a watch and wait approach?

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  • Yuuki
    Yuuki Member Posts: 47
    edited February 2019

    Hi Pesky,

    No one will ever fault you for getting a second opinion. Your health is too important to talk yourself out of getting one. I hope you do, and that it brings you peace of mind.

    Yuuki

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  • pesky904
    pesky904 Member Posts: 402
    edited February 2019

    Thanks, Yuuki. It's very frustrating that because I had radiation before my exchange surgery, all lumps and irregularities will automatically be blamed on that. And there's very little I can find on exactly what a post-radiation reconstructed breast with saline implants should feel like. There's tons out there about the lumps to expect after fat grafting, but not a lot otherwise.

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  • Yuuki
    Yuuki Member Posts: 47
    edited February 2019

    Nothing you find out there is likely to explain your unique case, especially when you fall into a small population, so seeking out a qualified opinion from someone who can actually examine you is key. Sometimes you can find the answers through research, but in this case I don’t think anyone else’s experience is likely to be helpful.

    In my case I had an old silicone implant that was radiated when I had a recurrence 16 years after my reconstruction. Mine felt like a block of concrete and I had axillary cording, but no lumps. Nothing got bigger. If I had had lumps or felt like anything was growing, I would have insisted on some type of imaging and a biopsy if warranted - regardless of anyone else’s experience.

    All the best to you,

    Yuuki

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  • LizM
    LizM Member Posts: 963
    edited February 2019

    I think my situation may be somewhat similar. I had bi-lateral reconstruction with tissue expanders in 2005. I had radiation before my implant exchange surgery. Had my implant exchange surgery in 15 months after initial surgery. I've noticed hard lumps in my radiate implant under the scar line; I've had an ultrasound and MRI and met with the breast surgeon. He told me he didn't think it was anything but the only way to tell for sure is for him to open up the scar line and do a biopsy. I chose against a biopsy because the hard lumps have stayed the exact same size for years. I recently had a CT scan of my neck, which included my breasts, which was done pre-surgery for hyperparathyroidism. The only thing the scan showed was calcium deposits on my radiated breast, which nobody seemed concerned with. I do check all the time to make sure it stays the same. My breast surgeon's notes in my medical records state I the lumps were due to late radiation changes. My initial surgery was over 13 years ago and implant surgery was 12 years ago.

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