Mumbai: Tata Hospital Performs Less Painful, Quicker Breast Reconstruction Surgery; A Step Ahead In Cancer Treatment Research

Mumbai, Sep 25: A research and development wing of the Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) here has said its doctors have performed the whole breast reconstruction using a biological mesh called Braxton, which is a less painful and quicker procedure.

It also does not involve using the patients' tissue from another part of their body and the recovery is also faster, the Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC) said in a statement on Tuesday.

The first whole breast reconstruction using Braxon biological mesh was performed on September 10 at the centre in Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, by senior surgical oncologist Dr Amar Deshpande along with Dr Dileep Hoysal and their team, the statement said.

The ACTREC and TMC breast unit treats about 5,000 breast cancers per year. The unit has been a pioneer in adopting modern surgical techniques that help in clearing the cancer while maintaining cosmesis, it said.

Whole breast reconstructive procedures are also performed, with the help of a plastic surgical team.

Most of these are traditional forms of reconstruction using the patients' own tissues and can result in partial loss of function and other problems related to the donor area including pain, infection, scarring, among others, the release said.

Even the time required for these operations is more (5-6 hours on an average) and the recovery is long as well (6-8 weeks), it said.

Dr Deshpande said this form of breast reconstruction (with use of biological mesh) is much less painful, quicker (about 2-3 hours) and does not involve using the patients' tissue from another part of their body, therefore, it eliminates the risks associated with the donor area of their body, as in the traditional method.

"The recovery is faster (about 3-4 weeks). The procedure has comparable results with the traditional forms of breast reconstruction. The cost is also similar to the traditional reconstructive procedures," he added.