October, International Breast Cancer Awareness Month, not only seeks to promote early detection and timely treatment, but also to make visible a fundamental dimension of the recovery process: reconstructive plastic surgery. This component, which until a few decades ago was considered accessory, is today recognized by the global medical community as an essential stage of comprehensive cancer treatmentwith a profound physical, functional and emotional impact on patients.
The global figures leave no room for indifference. According to the International Cancer Research Center (IARC)dependent on the World Health Organizationbreast cancer cases will increase by 38% by 2050, reaching 3.2 million new diagnoses annually and more than 1.1 million deaths. In Latin America, the outlook is even more challenging: one in three affected women is under 50 years old, and 21% of deaths occur before that age, compared to 10% in North America.
In this context, early diagnosis remains the most powerful tool. Detecting a tumor at a localized stage can increase survival rates to more than 95% within five yearsaccording to recent clinical series. However, early detection not only improves life expectancy: it also allows the immediate breast preservation or reconstructionwith more natural results and a less traumatic physical recovery.
“Early detection changes everything. When the diagnosis arrives on time, we can plan an immediate reconstruction, in the same surgical act as the mastectomy, avoiding painful intermediate stages and accelerating the patient’s comprehensive recovery,” explains plastic surgeon Juan Manuel Seren (MN 107.174), creator of the Rapid Breast Recovery Protocol (ERABAS), which promotes an approach interdisciplinary between mastologists, oncologists and reconstructive surgeons from day one.
Technology and teamwork
Today, technological advances have revolutionized the way breast cancer is diagnosed and treated. equipment high precision ultrasoundsystems elastography, 3D digital mammography and the increasing use of artificial intelligence They allow millimetric lesions to be detected and biopsies to be guided with greater accuracy. These tools not only save lives, but expand the possibilities for early and conservative reconstruction.
The participation of the plastic surgeon can begin from the first surgery. When detection is early, a immediate reconstructionsimultaneously with the mastectomy. In more advanced cases or after radiotherapy treatments, a deferred reconstructionplanned in a second stage. In both scenarios, technique and technology have dramatically reduced recovery times and postoperative complications.
Reconstructive types and trends
In the United States, according to American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS)74% of the reconstructions carried out in 2024 were immediate, a figure that grows year after year thanks to early detection. In total, there were 162,579 breast reconstructions3% more than in 2023.
The most common method is tissue expander to implant (54% of cases), followed by direct implant (25%) and microsurgical flaps like him DIEP (13%). In complex reconstructions, advanced techniques are used that use tissue from the abdomen or back to recreate a breast with natural texture and mobility.
Another key advance is the use of low weight implants and acellular dermal matrixwhich reduces pressure on tissues and improves postoperative tolerance. The placement prepectoral implant —above the muscle—already surpasses the traditional subpectoral, by reducing pain and speeding up recovery.
A global commitment
In 2021, the WHO launched the Global Breast Cancer Initiativewith the aim of reducing mortality by 2.5% annuallywhich could avoid 2.5 million deaths by 2040. The approach combines early detection, equitable access to treatment and comprehensive rehabilitation, where breast reconstruction takes center stage.
Reconstructive plastic surgery is, today, a bridge between science and empathy. It is the closure of a process that does not end with the removal of the tumor, but with the rebuilding women’s confidence, dignity and daily lives. In Seren’s words: “Plastic surgery not only repairs tissues. It repairs stories. And each reconstruction is also a form of hope.”
by RN
