Is Prophylactic Nipple-sparing Mastectomy Advised for Women with BRCA Mutations?

“Women have to look at various personal and medical factors,” says Dr. Chen. When considering and assessing reconstruction options, women learn that great strides have been made in breast reconstruction by using your own tissue to create a soft, warm, natural breast. Combining natural tissue breast reconstruction with a mastectomy that preserves all the skin including the nipple-areola complex allows for the best possible aesthetic result in which the reconstructed breast may be hard to distinguish from the original breast. Some women worry, however, that surgery preserving the nipple has the potential to allow undetected cancer cells to grow undisturbed. “In patients with no known disease, however, this is extremely unlikely, says Dr. Chen. “In almost all women with harmful BRCA mutations, prophylactic nipple-sparing mastectomy is safe.” Click HERE for the full article.