Background:Traditional transverse mastectomies yield suboptimal results in women with higher body mass index, wide breast footprint, and ptotic breasts. An option for this patient population is a reduction-pattern style mastectomy, and recruiting an inferiorly based dermal flap using the lower mastectomy flap. This is analogous to a vascularized dermal matrix supporting the lower pole of the implant, termed “Autoderm” breast reconstruction. This allows for aesthetically appealing skin reduction mastectomies with the added safety of a vascularized dermal flap to facilitate an immediate direct-to-implant breast reconstruction. This study assesses patient satisfaction using the validated BRECON-31 questionnaire to enhance shared-decision making with women contemplating breast reconstruction.Methods:A 2-year retrospective review of women who underwent Autoderm direct-to-implant breast reconstruction comparing patients who underwent unilateral and bilateral reconstruction in terms of characteristics, complications, and BRECON-31 scoring.Results:Overall patient scores were high (81.6 of 100). In particular, women scored very high on self-image (85.0), arm concerns (86.4), intimacy (87.4), satisfaction (88.3), and expectations subscales (85.5). Women choosing bilateral reconstruction outperformed unilateral reconstruction in every subgroup, but only attained statistical significance in the “self-consciousness” subgroup. Compared with a historical cohort of a mix of implant reconstruction types, Autoderm patients showed improved satisfaction (88.3 versus 82.5; P = 0.07) and breast appearance (73.9 versus 66.8; P = 0.06), approaching significance. Safety was demonstrated by low major complications (4.7%) and low implant loss rates (2.3%).Conclusions:Autoderm breast reconstruction is a safe option in women with large, ptotic breasts, with patients reporting high satisfaction using a validated instrument.
Background: Intra-lesional interleukin 2 (IL-2) therapy trials for the treatment of in-transit melanoma using different treatment protocols have been published reporting varied results. This study assesses the results of IL-2 therapy in our institution and to evaluate the reproducibility of our response rates when using the same treatment protocol as another Canadian centre. Methods: A retrospective review was undertaken of patients with in-transit melanoma who were treated with intralesional IL-2 in a single institution from 2010 to 2016. Responses were evaluated using RECIST criteria. Demographic data, tumour characteristics, follow-up data, in-transit-free interval, and survival data were collected and analysed. Results: Forty-nine patients were identified. Overall tumour response rate was 72%, including complete response in 23 patients (47%) and partial response in 12 patients (24%). Stable disease was observed in 4% of patients and progressive disease in 25%. The main side effects were minor discomfort with injections and auto-limited flu-like symptoms. The presence of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes may be a predictor of better response. Conclusion: This study confirms prior experience with intra-lesional IL-2, demonstrating it to be an effective, safe, and well-tolerated therapy for in-transit melanoma. Tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes as a predictor of better response warrant further study.
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