The patient had Breast Reconstruction Surgery, and once her adjuvant cancer treatments are finished, the nipple and areola will be recreated using local tissue along with tattooing.

Given the patient’s unmarried status, her Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels were also assessed for the possibility of preserving her eggs for potential future pregnancy

A team headed by Dr. Aditi Agrawal, Consultant Breast Cancer Surgeon, Wockhardt Hospitals, Mira Road saved the life of a 34-year-old single woman with Breast Cancer. The patient underwent Breast Reconstruction Surgery, and the nipple and areola were formed using nearby tissue and tattooing techniques. Since the patient is not married, her Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) levels were evaluated to explore the option of egg preservation for a possible future pregnancy. Currently, the patient is recuperating well and is eager to tie the knot shortly.

Patient Pompy Deka, Laser Technician by profession experienced symptoms such as pain in breast, she performed self-examination and spotted two lumps in her left breast, fortunately, the patient received timely management at Wockhardt Hospitals, Mira Road.

Dr. Aditi Agrawal said, “Patient with no comorbidities presented with 2 lumps in left breast. Owing to high suspicion clinically and on sonography trough cut breast biopsy was performed which to our surprise turned out to be Invasive Breast Carcinoma. As patient was young and unmarried and had dense breast we performed a MRI breast which revealed stage 0 cancer involving the entire breast. So our plan was to remove the entire breast but the patient requested to save her breast. She is a slim patient with no abdominal fat so reconstruction using abdominal fat was not possible so we had to think out of the box.

Dr. Aditi Agrawal added, “She was an unmarried slim girl, with a breast size of 34 C cup, and she had an insufficient volume of fat in her abdominal wall. Hence, we teamed up with Dr. Leena Jain, Consultant Plastic, Reconstructive Microvascular and Hand Surgeon and Dr. Sushil Nehete, Consultant Plastic, Hand & Microsurgeon and planned to perform skin sparing mastectomy with Reconstruction of breast. We decided to take a flap from her thigh which had a reasonable amount of fat. It is called the Anterolateral thigh flap, harvested from the anterolateral aspect of the thigh along with its blood supply.  Flap was shape to form a breast mound. The Anastomosis was done with the thoracodorsal artery and vein along the lateral chest wall below the axilla. This flap was further modified by harvesting skin and subcutaneous tissue along with the entire lateral muscle to provide more bulk required to match the opposite normal breast.

“Her reconstructed left breast matched well with the normal right breast sans a nipple and areola. Once she completes her adjuvant cancer treatment inclusive of chemotherapy, nipple and areola can be reconstructed using local tissue and tattooing. Considering her unmarried status, we performed her AMH status with the idea of preserving her Ovum / Ovarian tissue for future pregnancy. Women above 20 years of age are advised to perform breast self-examination every month to look for any abnormalities in the breast and initiate timely action if there is a confirmed diagnosis of breast cancer. Regular mammograms after 40 years will also be beneficial in catching cancer at an early stage,” said Dr. Aditi Agrawal.

“Receiving the diagnosis of breast cancer was an overwhelming shock for me, and I was terrified about the possibility of losing my breast. Anxiety consumed me as I worried about how this would affect my femininity and whether my breasts would appear normal after treatment. Thankfully, Dr Aditi and her team acted swiftly to carry out the necessary procedures to prevent any further complications. Their quick diagnosis, compassionate care, and effective treatment empowered me to confront breast cancer with determination. Now, I have embraced my new self and regained my confidence. I’m eager to return to my daily activities and move forward in life. It brings me joy and satisfaction to have made a full recovery.  I am looking forward to getting hitched in the future,” shared patient Pompy Deka, Mumbai.