Superior sensibility after full breast reconstruction with autologous fat transfer

BACKGROUND: With developments in screening and treatment, survival rates of breast cancer patients are increasing and so is the number of women opting for breast reconstruction to improve their quality of life (QoL). One factor that could play an important role in improving the QoL, is breast sensibility. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore breast sensibility in participants of the BREAST-trial: an ongoing randomized controlled trial comparing breast reconstruction with autologous fat transfer (AFT) versus implant-based reconstruction (IBR). METHODS: This study was conducted on participants of the BREAST-trial who were at least 12 months after final surgery. The Semmes Weinstein monofilaments were used to measure skin sensibility in breast cancer patients who received either a breast reconstruction with AFT or IBR following their mastectomy. RESULTS: A total of 46 patients were included in this study, resulting in 62 breast reconstructions (28 AFT breasts and 34 IBR). Significantly higher mean monofilament values were found for skin sensibility after AFT (-0.7; p<0.001), clinically correlating to 'diminished protective function', as opposed to the IBR group with clinical values indicating 'loss of protective function'. CONCLUSION: In this study we found breast cancer patients who underwent a mastectomy had a significantly better sensibility of the breast following AFT for total breast reconstruction as compared to IBR. Larger scaled studies including null measurements are required to further explore these noteworthy results of AFT.