Many women who have mastectomies for breast cancer also have breast reconstruction surgery. This helps cushion the psychological blow of losing a breast. Breast reconstruction can start immediately; the plastic surgeon takes up where the surgical oncologist leaves off. Researchers at the University of California–Davis looked at the safety of this practice.

What the researchers wanted to know: Does immediate breast reconstruction increase the risk of complications? Do those complications delay the start of chemotherapy?

What they did: They looked at medical records for all the women who had mastectomies at the UC–Davis hospital between 1995 and 2002. All those women were given the option of having immediate plastic surgery to reconstruct their breasts. Of 128 women who had 148 mastectomies (20 chose to have the other breast removed just in case), 62 women chose immediate reconstruction. There are several ways to rebuild a breast. Most of these women chose to have tissue expanders put in, followed later by an implant; the others chose methods that used tissue from their own abdomens or backs.

What they found: Women who had immediate breast reconstruction had more wound complications, including infections, hematoma, and poor wound healing, than women who didn't. However, they were not any more likely to have to delay starting chemotherapy because of their wound complications. Two women who had immediate breast reconstruction and two women who didn't had bad enough complications to delay chemotherapy. Women who had tissue expanders, then implants had fewer complications than women who used their own tissue to rebuild their breasts.

What the study means to you: Women who chose to have their breasts rebuilt right away had more wound complications. Though that was presumably no fun, it didn't appear to affect their cancer treatment, since it didn't delay when they started any chemotherapy that was planned to begin after the operation.

Caveats: With a larger group of women, more differences might have come out.

Find out more: If you're offended by drawings of naked breasts, skip this explanation of breast reconstruction surgery from imaginis.com.

Read the article: Mortenson, M.M., et al. "Immediate Breast Reconstruction After Mastectomy Increases Wound Complications." Archives of Surgery. September 2004, Vol. 139, pp. 988-991.

Abstract online: http://archsurg.ama-assn.org