Nov 12, 2009 7:26 pm US/Eastern
Researchers Hope To Re-Grow Human Breasts
Study May One Day Allow Human Body To Re-Grow Tissue For Breast Cancer Survivors Using Stem Cells
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Each year, nearly 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in America. For them, one of the most difficult challenges is losing a breast, and possibly going through reconstructive surgery.
Now, some preliminary research may one day allow the body to re-grow healthy tissue itself.
Scientists are about to begin trials that they hope will one day help breast cancer victims re-grow their breasts after a mastectomy. The trials, to begin in the next six months, involve implanting a device that helps fat cells regenerate using stem cells.
"What it entails is a chamber or shell that they're putting in, in women after they've had a mastectomy, and the chamber is filled with a woman's own fat cells," Dr. Allyssa Gillego, breast cancer surgeon at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, said. "They believe these fat cells can be able to grow."
Researchers hope the procedure, known as Neopec, could one day replace reconstructive surgery and breast implants.
Right now, there are more than 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States, and most of them have gone through some form of surgery – so improving options for reconstruction could have a huge impact.
"Following a mastectomy, the loss of a breast has a tremendous impact on a woman," Dr. Gillego said.
So far, the technique has only been tested in animals, which grew new breasts within six weeks. Experts predict the process could take up to eight months in women, and the experiments are very preliminary.
"We don't know what the potential complications will be, what the results will be, issues such as patients' dissatisfaction," Dr. Gillego said.
Dr. Gillego says breast reconstruction is an important part of the healing process.
"Studies have shown that, when a woman does have reconstruction after a mastectomy, that in the long run it's much better for their sense of well-being, their pathological wellness," Dr. Gillego said.
One day, researchers hope, the technique will provide breast cancer survivors with even more options for a full recovery.
The researchers also say their technique may one day apply to more than re-growing breast tissue. They hope the approach, if successful, could also be used for rebuilding other parts of the body affected by illness – or even cosmetic surgery.
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