STEM CELLS FOR FIXING THE BREAST DEFECTS

More than 10,000 women have lumps removed each year in the United States. These operations, lumpectomies, often are done in stead of mastectomies, which take the whole breast. But they often leave deformities because as much as a third of a woman’s breast may be removed.
The defect initially may not be as noticeable, but often gets worse, especially if the woman also has radiation treatment.
There is a growing push to try to involve the plastic surgeon particularly for this reason.
But for the first time, doctors have used stem cells from liposuctioned fat to fix breast defects in women who have had cancerous lumps removed.
The approach is still experimental, but holds promise for millions of women left with cratered areas and breasts that look very different from each other after cancer surgery.
It might also be a way to augment healthy breast without using artificial implants.
So far, it has only been tested on about the two dozen women in a study in Japan. But doctors in United States see it has great potential.