Cell-Assisted Lipotransfer Versus Conventional Lipofilling for Breast Reconstruction After Radiotherapy

By: Chris Schimpf, BS
Posted: Monday, July 24, 2023

The World Journal of Surgical Oncology has published new research examining the safety and efficacy of cell-assisted lipotransfer—a lipofilling technique enriched with adipose-derived stem cells—in patients with breast cancer who received radiotherapy. In the study, Wu et al, of Qiuwan Wu, First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University and Third Clinical Medical College, Fujian Medical University, China, found that the technique did not seem to increase the risk of recurrence following breast radiotherapy. In fact, they suggested that cell-assisted lipotransfer performed similarly to conventional lipofilling in patients who received radiotherapy.

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first systematic review to evaluate the safety and efficacy of [cell-assisted lipotransfer] in irradiated breasts,” the researchers noted. “With the increasing demand for [cell-assisted lipotransfer] reconstruction, there is an urgent need to determine whether [the] treatment could compromise oncological safety after radiotherapy, as well as to evaluate its efficacy in guiding clinical decisions.”

The team’s systematic review consisted of a comprehensive search of the PubMed, Ovid, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases through 2021. The search yielded 1,185 unique studies, of which 7 were found eligible based on the researchers’ inclusion and exclusion criteria. All participants in the included studies underwent mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery, and all received cell-assisted lipotransfer within the context of breast reconstruction after radiotherapy. The mean age of participants was younger than age 60 in all included studies, the mean preoperative body mass index was less than 30 kg/m², and TNM tumor classifications ranged through T2 N2 M0.

Given their findings—and in light of the study’s small sample and limited outcome evidence—the investigators stressed the need for future high-quality, multicenter studies that include randomized controlled trials with adequate follow-up and standardized protocols.

Disclosure: The study authors reported no conflicts of interest.

World Journal of Surgical Oncology