Breast Reconstruction Study Out of Toronto
10/18/09 submitted by: Toni Zhong M.D. FRCS(C)
BRCA NEWSWORTHY
If you are living in Canada and need to have a mastectomy in the near
future, you need to know about this new breast reconstruction study out of
Toronto. This study is especially suited to BRCA carriers. We have just
opened enrolment at University Health Network and Women’s College for an
exciting randomized controlled trial comparing outcomes following one-stage
direct to permanent implant using Alloderm compared to the traditional
two-stage TE/implant reconstruction at the same time as skin-sparing
mastectomy or nipple sparing mastectomy. This is a fully funded study that
is supported by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and we have full
ethics approval at our four participating sites (Mount Sinai, Women’s
college, Princess Margaret, and Toronto General Hospital). Currently in
Canada, only very limited hospitals have the authority to use Alloderm
because of its high price, but it is approved by Health Canada and has been
used in the US for many years with an excellent track record. The
bottomline is that Alloderm has the potential to convert the traditional
practice of 2-stage implant recon to only one stage with better safety and
aesthetics than without this material. If you join this study, you will
have a 50:50 chance of receiving the Alloderm implant reconstruction. But
even more importantly, there are many benefits to being in a high-quality
clinical trial including being treated by the most experienced implant
breast reconstruction surgeons in Canada. In summary, this study will give
high level evidence that can have important implication on QOL of breast
recon patients and potentially influence our current surgical practice.
Please visit our website at http://www.torontoalloderm.ca or call our
research coordinator Mrs. kate Butler at 416-340-4800 ext 2343 or email:
kbutler@uhnres.utoronto.ca.
I am a patient that received one-stage breast reconstruction with AlloDerm and implants at Faulkner Hospital in Boston by plastic surgeon and procedure pioneer Dr.Karl Breuing. I could not possibly be happier with the outcome, and am delighted to know you are leading the way in both raising awareness of this procedure and validating its superior outcomes through clinical data. I hope you plan to publish your data soon, so that the entities that “legitimize” breast surgical procedures and oncology practices will have to stand up and take notice. The U.S., in particular the American Cancer Society, has been slow in making this information available for women’s necessary consideration. As a 2-time breast cancer survivor and patient advocate, I THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!
I know it sounds crazy, but somehow, my doctor, Dr. Salzberg of the New York Group for Plastic Surgery (www.nygplasticsurgery.com) has made a prophylactic double mastectomy a beautiful thing. My results of using One-Stage reconstruction with AlloDerm are truly magnificent. Being BRCA1 positive, I will always be grateful to Dr. Salzberg, because I know if his technique did not exist, I would still be deciding how to reduce my risk of breast cancer. I encourage all of those considering Alloderm to visit his site (www.mybreastreconstruction.com) for more information to help you decide.