EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL SEPTEMBER 20, 1997
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NEW STUDIES OF BREAST REDUCTION SURGERY INCREASE KNOWLEDGE OF THE BENEFITS
SAN FRANCISCO (September 20, 1997) ñ New research confirms that breast reduction surgery may provide benefits other than a smaller size, according to two studies to be presented at the 66th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (ASPRS), September 20-24 in San Francisco, Calf.
One study was designed to determine whether women who have breast reduction surgery are at greater or lesser risk for developing breast cancer than other women. The retrospective study, including nearly 30,000 women who underwent breast reduction surgery in Ontario, Canada between 1979 and 1993, linked computerized data with mortality rates and the incidence of cancer cases among Ontario women during the same time period.
"The results show that breast reduction does not increase the risk of breast cancer. In fact, there may even be reduced risk," said Mitchell H. Brown, M.D., assistant professor, department of surgery, division of plastic surgery, University of Toronto and one of the clinical investigators. "This new information is good news for women who need breast reduction for the alleviation of physical symptoms, but this procedure should not be considered a method of breast cancer prevention."
Among the women who had breast reduction surgery, the incidence of breast cancer following surgery was 40 percent less than in those women who had not had the surgery. Coincidentally, a reduction in risk was also seen in lung, cervix and digestive cancer. While the reasons for reduction of risk are undetermined, Dr. Brown speculates that be the adoption of healthier lifestyles by patients may play an important role.
A prospective study demonstrated that breast reduction surgery may offer significant social and psychological benefits for adolescent girls. While the alleviation of physical symptoms is well documented, less information is available on the psychological effect that a dramatic change in body contour may have on the adolescent female.
"For the adolescent female, body image is an important part of the social adjustment," said Kristin Stueber, M.D., associate professor of surgery, Tufts University, and director of plastic surgery, Bay State Medical Center, Springfield, Mass. "If surgery that relieves physical symptoms also allows better social adaptation, that is an added justification for performing the surgery at a younger age."
Three recognized tests of social adjustment, body image and self-esteem were administered to the participants, all of whom were between the ages of 13 and 20, before treatment and six months after breast reduction surgery. The results showed improvement in all three areas with significant differences in satisfaction with body image and social adjustment. The social adjustment scores of participants after the surgery more closely approximated those of a community population than their preoperative scores.
The American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons represents 97 percent of all physicians certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS). By choosing an ASPRS member plastic surgeon who is certified by the ABPS, patients can be assured that the physician has graduated from an accredited medical school and completed at least five years of additional residency, usually three years in general surgery and two years of plastic surgery. To be certified by the ABPS, a physician must also practice plastic surgery for two years and pass comprehensive written and oral examinations. Consumers may call Plastic Surgery Information Service at 1-800-635-0635 or access the ASPRS website at www.plasticsurgery.org for informational brochures and names of qualified plastic surgeons in their areas.
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