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Cancer Survivor Finds New Hope at Riverview
One patient's search for specialists to perform a unique microsurgery brought her to an amazing
team of surgeons at Riverview Medical Center.
As someone who works for a breast cancer
hotline, Long Island resident Merle*
was well-aware of the various options
for breast cancer treatment and reconstruction.
Her own experience with breast cancer 10
years earlier provided her with added insight.
When she recently was diagnosed with a recurrence
of breast cancer, Merle knew she would
require more extensive surgery.
Merle also knew there was a unique
new option for breast reconstruction called
deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP)
flap. The DIEP flap is a microsurgical,
state-of-the-art procedure in which excess
tissue is removed from a woman's abdomen
and transplanted to create a new breast.
Microsurgery is used to reconnect blood
vessels and maintain the integrity of the
transplanted tissue. Surgeons sculpt a new
breast with the patient's own tissue and
without the trade-offs of other alternatives.
Other reconstructive techniques used by
plastic surgeons include artificial implants and
the transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous
(TRAM) flap. Both techniques still are widely
used and appropriate for the right candidate.
However, artificial implant reconstruction can
run a risk for severe scar formation around
the implant and requires maintenance surgery
with exchange of implants every so often. It
also may complicate recovery in women who
have undergone or will undergo radiation.
The TRAM flap is a non-implant reconstruction
that also uses a woman's own tissue. In
addition to excess skin and fat, the surgeon
removes muscle from the abdominal wall
and tunnels it up to the breast area. While
still a good technique in breast reconstruction, the TRAM flap may lead to weakening of
the abdominal muscles and development
of hernias.
Finding the Right Team
In Merle's case, she and her physicians
determined that she would undergo a bilateral
mastectomy, which is a procedure to
remove the affected breast as well as the
other breast. Merle knew that she wanted
the DIEP flap for reconstruction after her
mastectomy and set out to find the right
experts. Merle researched and met with
specialists in Connecticut and New York,
but ultimately found the right team of
doctors at Riverview Medical Center.
Riverview plastic surgeon Negin N.
Griffith, M.D., and breast surgeon Debra E.
Camal, M.D., met with Merle and knew they
could help her. Dr. Camal would perform
the lifesaving mastectomies and Dr. Griffith
would follow up with bilateral DIEP flap
breast reconstruction. Since Merle would be
having both breasts reconstructed, the physicians
brought in a third team member, plastic
surgeon John M. Taylor, M.D., to assist.
Leading the Way in Local Care
Drs. Griffith, Camal, and Taylor were the
first to introduce the DIEP flap procedure
at Riverview Medical Center. According to
Dr. Griffith, very few community hospitals
in the United States offer the DIEP flap as
a reconstructive option to women
undergoing mastectomy.
"It's exciting to bring this procedure
into the mainstream of our community,"
says Dr. Griffith. "For those who are appropriate
candidates, the DIEP flap technique
offers an alternative. While it requires longer
operative times and an ICU stay, it gives
women a reconstructive option that avoids
permanently disturbing the integrity of the
abdominal muscles, while still using a
woman's own tissue to create a breast."
Several months after the procedure,
Merle is very pleased with her results.
"The care at Riverview was wonderful,
and the ICU staff was amazing," she says.
"Dr. Camal and Dr. Griffith far surpassed
my expectations."
 – Donna Sellmann
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Recent studies suggest it's never too late to
start exercising and decrease your odds of
developing breast cancer.
One study of more than 74,000 women
ages 50 to 79 found that they didn't
have to exercise strenuously to lower their
breast cancer risk. In fact, compared with
women who did not exercise, those who
performed 1.25 to 2.5 hours of moderate
exercise per week, such as brisk walking,
reduced their risk by 18 percent.
Exercising moderately for more than
10 hours weekly was associated with a
22 percent lower risk.
Vigorous activities, like jogging, also
were linked to a decreased risk. However,
the additional risk reduction was not
statistically significant.
The American Cancer Society says
women should aim for at least 30 minutes
of exercise on most days of the week.
Getting 45 to 60 minutes is even better.
To fit it in your day, try these tips:
- Skip the elevator and take the stairs.
- Pedal a stationary bike while you're watching TV.
- Take a walk during your lunch hour.
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