Long-Term Outcome in Implant Breast Reconstruction and Radiotherapy: The Role of Fat Grafting.
De Col A., Buttarelli F., Akuma M., Paganini F., Scevola A.
Retrospective Study with a reported sample of 6, published in J Clin Med (2025) — summary generated from the PubMed abstract.
Early human evidence such as case series or small samples is exploring possible benefits.
- Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
- Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
- Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
- Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
- Emerging · Emerging topic under active research
This page is generated from the PubMed record. The Thai description is an automated summary of bibliographic fields and the abstract, not a full translation, and is not medical advice.
- Study type
- Retrospective Study
- Journal
- J Clin Med (2025)
- Country
- Switzerland
- Reported sample size
- 6
- Source database
- PubMed
- PMID
- 41226965
- PMCID
- PMC12610739
- DOI
- 10.3390/jcm14217569
Abstract (original English)
Background: Capsular contracture remains one of the most challenging complications of implant-based breast reconstruction, particularly in patients undergoing postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT). Autologous fat grafting has been proposed as a regenerative strategy to mitigate radiation-induced damage, but long-term data are limited. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed women who underwent two-stage implant-based breast reconstruction followed by PMRT (50 Gy in 25 fractions) between 2010 and 2021 at Ospedale Sant'Anna, Como. Eligible patients subsequently received at least one session of autologous fat grafting after radiotherapy. Primary outcome was the incidence and severity of capsular contracture; secondary outcomes included the need for salvage autologous reconstruction, oncologic safety, and patient-reported satisfaction. Results: Thirty-two patients met inclusion criteria. The mean age was 56.1 years, and mean BMI was 23.8 kg/m 2 . All underwent submuscular two-stage reconstruction with anatomically shaped implants (mean volume 336 cc). Patients received an average of 1.7 fat grafting sessions (mean cumulative volume 180 cc). At a mean follow-up of 7.7 years, capsular contracture occurred in 6 patients (18.8%): 4 with Baker grade III and 2 with Baker grade II. No cases of severe (grade IV) contracture were observed. Importantly, no patient required salvage autologous recon
What this study does not prove
- • This study does not prove SVF is an approved treatment or a replacement for standard care.
- • Without an adequate control group, treatment effects cannot be separated from other factors.
Evidence level
Early human evidence such as case series or small samples is exploring possible benefits.
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