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Comparative Study
. 2020 May;145(5):917e-926e.
doi: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000006724.

Patient-Reported Outcomes after Irradiation of Tissue Expander versus Permanent Implant in Breast Reconstruction: A Multicenter Prospective Study

Alfred P Yoon  1 , Ji Qi  1 , Hyungjin M Kim  1 , Jennifer B Hamill  1 , Reshma Jagsi  1 , Andrea L Pusic  1 , Edwin G Wilkins  1 , Jeffrey H Kozlow  1
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Patient-Reported Outcomes after Irradiation of Tissue Expander versus Permanent Implant in Breast Reconstruction: A Multicenter Prospective Study

Alfred P Yoon et al. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2020 May.

Abstract

Background: Whether to irradiate the tissue expander before implant exchange or to defer irradiation until after exchange in immediate, two-stage expander/implant reconstruction remains uncertain. The authors evaluated the effects of irradiation timing on complication rates and patient-reported outcomes in patients undergoing immediate expander/implant reconstruction.

Methods: Immediate expander/implant reconstruction patients undergoing postmastectomy radiation therapy at 11 Mastectomy Reconstruction Outcomes Consortium sites with demographic, clinical, and complication data were analyzed. Patient-reported outcomes were assessed with BREAST-Q, Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System, and European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Breast Cancer-Specific Quality-of-Life Questionnaire surveys preoperatively and 2 years postoperatively. Survey scores and complication rates were analyzed using bivariate comparison and multivariable regressions.

Results: Of 317 patients who met inclusion criteria, 237 underwent postmastectomy radiation therapy before expander/implant exchange (before-exchange cohort), and 80 did so after exchange (after-exchange cohort). Timing of radiation had no significant effect on risks of overall complications (OR, 1.25; p = 0.46), major complications (OR, 1.18; p = 0.62), or reconstructive failure (OR, 0.72; p = 0.49). Similarly, radiation timing had no significant effect on 2-year patient-reported outcomes measured by the BREAST-Q or the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer survey. Outcomes measured by the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System showed less anxiety, fatigue, and depression in the after-exchange group. Compared with preoperative assessments, 2-year patient-reported outcomes significantly declined in both cohorts for Satisfaction with Breasts, Physical Well-Being, and Sexual Well-Being, but improved for anxiety and depression.

Conclusions: Radiation timing (before or after exchange) had no significant effect on complication risks or on most patient-reported outcomes in immediate expander/implant reconstruction. Although lower levels of anxiety, depression, and fatigue were observed in the after-exchange group, these differences may not be clinically significant.

Clinical question/level of evidence: Therapeutic, II.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors have no financial interests including products, devices, or drugs associated with this manuscript. There are no commercial associations that might pose or create a conflict of interest with information presented in this submitted manuscript such as consultancies, stock ownership, or patent licensing arrangements.

Comment in

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