KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of postmastectomy screening pathways for Goldilocks recon recurrence.
- Researchers noticed that clear screening guidelines are essential for early detection in Goldilocks recon patients.
The Goldilocks breast reconstruction technique utilizes redundant mastectomy skin flaps to create a natural-looking breast mound. However, concerns arise regarding potential fat necrosis due to the imbrication of these skin flaps, potentially complicating the detection of local breast cancer (BC) recurrence. Despite following a conventional postmastectomy screening pathway involving clinical examination for locoregional recurrence, the adequacy of this approach for Goldilocks patients remains uncertain.
Jennifer Wang and the team aimed to evaluate a series of Goldilocks reconstruction cases to ascertain rates of diagnostic imaging, biopsy, and both locoregional and distant recurrence.
They conducted an inclusive analysis of 66 patients (94 breasts) who underwent Goldilocks breast reconstruction. Diagnostic postoperative imaging and biopsies confirming local or distant BC recurrence were noted.
About 45 months was the average follow-up time for the cohort, with the majority having stage 0 (27.3%) or stage I (40.9%) BC. Of total, 11 (11.7%) concerning breast masses were identified. Total 7 (7.4%) masses underwent biopsy, resulting in 5 being benign and 2 showing invasive cancer recurrence, 4 masses (4.3%) underwent diagnostic imaging alone, all revealing benign findings. Additionally, 5 patients in the series were diagnosed with either distant disease or a second primary cancer in the nonoperative contralateral breast.
The study concluded that rates of local recurrence post Goldilocks reconstruction align with expectations after other postmastectomy methods. Clinical monitoring effectively detected all local recurrences in the series. Establishing clearer screening guidelines for Goldilocks mastectomy patients could enhance early detection of local BC recurrence.
No funding information was provided.
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38857009/
Wang J, Ghanouni A, Losken A, et al. (2024). “Monitoring for Breast Cancer Recurrence Following Goldilocks Breast Reconstruction. “Ann Plast Surg. 2024 Jun 1;92(6S Suppl 4):S432-S436. doi: 10.1097/SAP.0000000000003952. PMID: 38857009.
