Post-mastectomy breast reconstruction with expanders and implants is recognized as an integral part of breast cancer treatment. Its main complication is represented by capsular contracture, which leads to poor expansion, breast deformation, and pain, often requiring additional surgery. In such a scenario, the debate continues as to whether the second stage of breast reconstruction should be performed before or after post-mastectomy radiation therapy, in light of potential alterations induced by irradiation to silicone biomaterial. This work provides a novel, multi-technique approach to unveil the role of radiotherapy in biomaterial alterations, with potential involvement in capsular contracture. Following irradiation, implant shells underwent mechanical, chemical, and microstructural evaluation by means of tensile testing, Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform InfraRed spectroscopy (ATR/FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), high resolution stylus profilometry, and Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). Our findings are consistent with radiation-induced modifications of silicone that, although not detectable at the microscale, can be evidenced by more sophisticated nanoscale surface analyses. In light of these results, biomaterial irradiation cannot be ruled out as one of the possible co-factors underlying capsular contracture.

The effect of post-mastectomy radiation therapy on breast implants: unveiling biomaterial alterations with potential implications on capsular contracture / Ribuffo, Diego; LO TORTO, Federico; Giannitelli, Sara M.; Urbini, Marco; Tortora, Luca; Mozetic, Pamela; Trombetta, Marcella; Basoli, Francesco; Licoccia, Silvia; Tombolini, Vincenzo; Cassese, Raffaele; Scuderi, Nicolo'; Rainer, Alberto. - In: MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING. C, BIOMIMETIC MATERIALS, SENSORS AND SYSTEMS. - ISSN 0928-4931. - ELETTRONICO. - 57:(2015), pp. 338-343. [10.1016/j.msec.2015.07.015]

The effect of post-mastectomy radiation therapy on breast implants: unveiling biomaterial alterations with potential implications on capsular contracture

RIBUFFO, Diego;LO TORTO, FEDERICO;TOMBOLINI, Vincenzo;CASSESE, RAFFAELE;SCUDERI, Nicolo';
2015

Abstract

Post-mastectomy breast reconstruction with expanders and implants is recognized as an integral part of breast cancer treatment. Its main complication is represented by capsular contracture, which leads to poor expansion, breast deformation, and pain, often requiring additional surgery. In such a scenario, the debate continues as to whether the second stage of breast reconstruction should be performed before or after post-mastectomy radiation therapy, in light of potential alterations induced by irradiation to silicone biomaterial. This work provides a novel, multi-technique approach to unveil the role of radiotherapy in biomaterial alterations, with potential involvement in capsular contracture. Following irradiation, implant shells underwent mechanical, chemical, and microstructural evaluation by means of tensile testing, Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform InfraRed spectroscopy (ATR/FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), high resolution stylus profilometry, and Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). Our findings are consistent with radiation-induced modifications of silicone that, although not detectable at the microscale, can be evidenced by more sophisticated nanoscale surface analyses. In light of these results, biomaterial irradiation cannot be ruled out as one of the possible co-factors underlying capsular contracture.
2015
Capsular contracture; Post-mastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT); Silicone breast implants; Surface analyses; Materials Science (all); Condensed Matter Physics; Mechanical Engineering; Mechanics of Materials
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01a Articolo in rivista
The effect of post-mastectomy radiation therapy on breast implants: unveiling biomaterial alterations with potential implications on capsular contracture / Ribuffo, Diego; LO TORTO, Federico; Giannitelli, Sara M.; Urbini, Marco; Tortora, Luca; Mozetic, Pamela; Trombetta, Marcella; Basoli, Francesco; Licoccia, Silvia; Tombolini, Vincenzo; Cassese, Raffaele; Scuderi, Nicolo'; Rainer, Alberto. - In: MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING. C, BIOMIMETIC MATERIALS, SENSORS AND SYSTEMS. - ISSN 0928-4931. - ELETTRONICO. - 57:(2015), pp. 338-343. [10.1016/j.msec.2015.07.015]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/793824
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