(MUSIC) GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY AND
WELCOME TO THE BALANCING ACT.
WE'RE SO GLAD YOU'RE HERE.
I'M JULIE MORAN.
AND I'M OLGA VILLAVERDE.
OCTOBER, YOU KNOW IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH.
VERY IMPORTANT.
ABSOLUTELY.
SO TODAY, THE BALANCING ACT; JULIE AND I-
WE ARE GOING PINK.
THAT'S RIGHT.
WE'VE GOT ON OUR VERSIONS OF PINK
FOR YOU TODAY AND WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT SOME NEW
WAYS TO TEST FOR THE DISEASE THAT ARE REALLY..
ALSO IMPORTANT, A LOOK AT SURGICAL
RECONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES.
THERE ARE BETTER CHOICES TODAY THAN EVER BEFORE.
GREAT NEWS THERE.
THAT'S RIGHT...BREAST CANCER AWARENESS DAY
ON THE BALANCING ACT AND IT BEGINS RIGHT NOW.
(MUSIC) METEOROLOGIST MARK MANCUSSO
JOINS US NOW FOR A LOOK AT YOUR LOCAL
FORECAST.
AND IT'S BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE GOOD FOLKS
AT STATE FARM INSURANCE.
GOOD MORNING MARK.
(WEATHER BREAK).
(MUSIC) TODAY'S ACCUWEATHER SEGMENT IS
BROUGHT TO YOU BY, STATE FARM.
FOR AUTO, HOME, LIFE AND BANKING, GET TO A BETTER STATE.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK).
(MUSIC) (THUNDER)
(DISPATCHER SPEAKING ON RADIO) ANDREW, RITA, SANDY.
MEET CHRIS, JACKIE, JOE.
MINOR DAMAGE OR MAJOR DISASTER?
WHEN YOU NEED US MOST, WE'RE THERE.
STATE FARM.
WE ARE A FORCE OF NATURE TOO.
(MUSIC) (MUSIC)
LADIES, IF I WERE TO ASK YOU, ARE YOU DENSE?
YOU'D PROBABLY GET A LITTLE UPSET WITH ME, RIGHT?
BUT GUESS WHAT?
IT TURNS OUT IT IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS
A WOMAN CAN EVER ASK.
AND BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH HAPPENS
TO BE THE PERFECT TIME TO FIND OUT WHY.
JOINING ME IS DOCTOR RACHAEL BREM,
RADIOLOGIST AND DIRECTOR OF BREAST IMAGING AND INTERVENTION.
DR.
RACHEL BREM, FROM GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
AND THE BREM FOUNDATION.
ALSO, A BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR.
GOOD MORNING.
GOOD MORNING; WONDERFUL BEING HERE.
I KNOW...SO GLAD TO HAVE YOU DOCTOR.
TALK TO ME ABOUT HOW YOUR FOUNDATION REALLY
HONES IN ON EARLY DETECTION; EARLY DIAGNOSIS.
IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR YOU-- IT'S A PASSION.
THE PASSION STARTED WHEN I WAS YOUNG GIRL
AT THE AGE OF TWELVE.
MY MOTHER HAD BREAST CANCER AND I SAW THE RAVAGES THAT IT
COULD DO TO A FAMILY.
AND SO I DECIDED THEN, AS A YOUNG GIRL,
THAT I WAS GOING TO DO EVERYTHING I CAN
TO MAKE BREAST CANCER A CURABLE DISEASE.
AND THAT'S HOW I GOT HERE.
LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT CRYPTIC QUESTION.
"ARE YOU DENSE?"
WHY IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT-- HOW DOES THAT QUESTION FIT IN TO
EARLY DETECTION-- AND EARLY DIAGNOSIS?
SO BREAST DENSITY IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT.
IT'S HOW MUCH BREAST TISSUE YOU HAVE.
IF YOU HAVE MORE THAN 50% BREAST TISSUE IN YOUR BREASTS,
THEN YOU HAVE DENSE BREAST TISSUE.
LESS; YOU'RE NOT DENSE.
AND THE REASON THAT'S IMPORTANT IS BECAUSE IT IMPACTS HOW
MAMMOGRAMS ARE INTERPRETED.
IN WOMEN WHO DON'T HAVE DENSE BREASTS,
ABOUT 90% OF BREAST CANCERS CAN BE SEEN.
BUT IN WOMEN WHO HAVE DENSE BREAST TISSUE,
A THIRD OF BREAST CANCERS ARE NOT SEEN.
THIS IS BECAUSE, ON A MAMMOGRAM BREAST TISSUE IS WHITE, AND
BREAST CANCER IS WHITE.
SO THE LACK OF CONTRASTS MAKE IT VERY DIFFICULT
TO SEE THE CANCER.
KIND OF LIKE TRYING TO FIND A SPECIFIC CLOUD IN A CLOUD
FILLED SKY.
-HUMMM. 40% OF AMERICAN WOMEN HAVE DENSE
BREAST TISSUE.
ALTHOUGH ALMOST HALF OF AMERICAN WOMEN
DON'T KNOW WHAT THEIR BREAST DENSITY IS.
AND THE OTHER THING THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT
IS THAT LEGISLATION IS HAVING AN INCREASING IMPACT.
NINETEEN STATES NOW REQUIRE WOMEN TO BE TOLD
WHAT THEIR BREAST DENSITY IS.
AND THERE IS FEDERAL BILL BEFORE CONGRESS
THAT WILL MAKE IT MANDATED THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.
AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO REALIZE THAT YOU CAN'T TELL WHAT YOUR
BREAST DENSITY IS EXCEPT BY YOUR MAMMOGRAM.
SO YOU CAN BE PERKY DENSE; YOU CAN BE SAGGY DENSE.
YOU CAN FEEL ANYWAY AND STILL HAVE DENSE BREASTS.
IT'S ONLY SOMETHING YOU CAN TELL FROM YOUR MAMMOGRAM.
YOU HAVE A PERSONAL STORY.
YOU ARE A BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR.
YOU WERE DIAGNOSED IN '96.
TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED.
THE WAY I FOUND MY CANCER, IS I HAD A MAMMOGRAM TWO WEEKS
BEFORE THIS.
-AND THEN I WAS CHARGED...
-WHICH WAS NORMAL....
I WAS CHARGED WITH TRYING TO FIND
SOME NEW ULTRASOUND EQUIPMENT IN MY CENTER.
SO WHAT I DO IS, I TELL ALL THE VENDORS TO BRING
THEIR ULTRASOUND EQUIPMENT IN
AND AT THE END OF THE DAY WHEN THINGS ARE QUIET,
I'LL TRY IT ON MYSELF.
-REALLY?
SO THAT NIGHT, NOT ONLY DID I KNOW
WHICH ULTRASOUND UNIT I WANTED TO PURCHASE, BUT I ALSO
FOUND MY OWN CANCER.
YOU DISCOVERED YOUR OWN?
THAT'S...AND THE MAMMOGRAM....
I HAD A MAMMOGRAM TWO WEEKS EARLIER
AND IT WAS NORMAL BECAUSE I HAD DENSE BREASTS AS WELL.
OH MY GOSH!
AND AT THAT MOMENT- -WHAT WENT THROUGH YOUR MIND?
I FELT VERY FORTUNATE THAT I FOUND IT;
HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO FIND IT EARLY,
WHEN BREAST CANCERS ARE OFTEN CURABLE.
GOD BLESS!
ALRIGHT, DOCTOR I HAVE MANY MORE QUESTIONS TO
ASK YOU, SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
SHARING THAT PERSONAL STORY.
AND COMING UP AFTER THE BREAK, DR.
BREM IS GOING TO TELL US HOW TO FIND OUT IF WE HAVE DENSE
BREASTS AND SHE'S GOT SOME GREAT
INFORMATION ABOUT A BREAST SCREENING OPTION
FOR THOUSANDS OF WOMEN, INCLUDING ME, WITH DENSE
BREASTS.
SO STAY RIGHT THERE.
DON'T GO ANYWHERE.
(MUSIC) WELCOME BACK TO THE BALANCING
ACT.
AND WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A VERY
IMPORTANT DISCUSSION WITH BREAST CANCER
ADVOCATE AND SURVIVOR, DR.
RACHAEL BREM, FROM GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
AND THE BREM FOUNDATION.
BEFORE THE BREAK, WE WERE SHARING SOME SHOCKING
STATISTICS ABOUT BREAST DENSITY AND WHY IT'S VITAL FOR WOMEN
TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THEY HAVE DENSE BREASTS
BECAUSE OF THE RISK FACTOR.
DOCTOR, THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING ME AGAIN.
LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT OPTIONS WE HAVE
IF WE ARE DENSE.
SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR WOMEN TO KNOW THAT THERE ARE OTHER
OPTIONS TO HELP FIND THESE HIDDEN BREAST
CANCERS.
AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO REALIZE THAT
NOT ONLY IS MAMMOGRAPHY MORE CHALLENGING
IN WOMEN WITH DENSE BREAST TISSUE,
BUT WOMEN WHO HAVE DENSE BREAST TISSUE
HAVE A FOUR TO SIX FOLD INCREASE RISK
OF DEVELOPING BREAST CANCER.
-REALLY?
THE PERFECT STORM...
HARDER TO FIND; HIGHER RISK OF BREAST CANCER.
SO WE NEED ADDITIONAL OPTIONS TO FIND
THESE HIDDEN BREAST CANCERS.
ULTRASOUND, WHICH IS A TERRIFIC OPTION-
IT'S COMFORTABLE; IT USES NO RADIATION;
IT DOESN'T REQUIRE AN INJECTION.
WITH ULTRASOUND THE CONTRAST IS OPTIMIZED.
BREAST CANCERS ARE BLACK.
BREAST TISSUE IS WHITE.
SO WE CAN SEE THE CANCERS THAT ARE
OTHERWISE HIDDEN BECAUSE OF THE LACK
CONTRAST IN MAMMOGRAPHY- -AND I ACTUALLY GO TO A SEPARATE
ROOM AFTER MY MAMMOGRAM AND I HAVE A
TECHNICIAN DO A...
I GUESS IT'S A HANDHELD ULTRASOUND ON ME.
-RIGHT...SO, THAT'S TERRIFIC, BUT THE PROBLEM IS THAT HANDHELD
ULTRASOUND CAN BE VERY VARIABLE, IT'S VERY
OPERATOR DEPENDENT.
IT DEPENDS ON WHO'S DOING IT.
-UMMM HUMM AND SO WHAT REALLY WAS NEEDED
WAS A WAY TO HARNESS THE POWER OF
ULTRASOUND, WHICH FINDS TWO TO FOUR
ADDITIONAL CANCERS PER THOUSAND, OR PROBABLY ABOUT TWENTY-FOUR
THOUSAND ADDITIONAL CANCERS IN THE U.S.
EVERY YEAR.
TO HARNESS THAT IN A WAY THAT IS EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE AND CAN
NOT BE OPERATOR DEPENDENT SO WE CAN BE
SURE THAT ENTIRETY OF THE BREAST IS
IMAGED.
I DO WANT TO SAY THAT, ULTRASOUND IS IN ADDITION TO
MAMMOGRAPHY.
THIS DOES NOT REPLACE MAMMOGRAPHY.
BUT IT'S AN IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL TOOL
WE HAVE TO FIND MORE CANCER.
SO HAVE ADVANCED THAT TECHNOLOGY TO HAVE THAT EXTRA, LET'S SAY,
OPTION?
YES.
THERE IS EXCITING NEW TECHNOLOGY THAT WAS DEVELOPED BY
G.E.
CALLED, ABUS - AUTOMATED BREAST ULTRASOUND
HOW DOES IT WORK?
IT'S DESIGNED TO USE ULTRASOUND; AGAIN, A COMFORTABLE, NO
RADIATION, EXAMINATION...TO FIND THESE
HIDDEN BREAST CANCERS.
AND IT IMAGES EACH PART OF THE BREAST
WITH THE SPECIALLY DESIGNED, VERY SOPHISTICATED PIECE OF
EQUIPMENT, THAT IS THE ONLY FDA APPROVED
DEVICE TO SCREEN WOMEN WITH DENSE BREAST TISSUE,
AVAILABLE IN THE UNITED STATES.
SO DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT I SHOULD LOOK INTO.
ABSOLUTELY.
DOCTOR, I KNOW THROUGH YOUR FOUNDATION,
YOU...YOU REALLY WANT A LOT OF WOMEN
TO BE MORE AWARE, EDUCATED, SELF-ADVOCACY..
REALLY IMPORTANT TODAY, ISN'T IT?
ABSOLUTELY.
A WOMAN IS HER OWN BEST ADVOCATE AND
SHE HAS THE RESPONSIBILITY TO KNOW HER OWN BODY
AND TO KNOW IF THERE IS ANYTHING ELSE SHE CAN DO
TO BE THE HEALTHIEST THAT SHE CAN BE.
AND THAT'S WHY IT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR WOMEN
TO KNOW WHAT THEIR BREAS DENSITY IS.
BUT UNTIL EVERY WOMAN IS TOLD WHAT HER BREAST DENSITY IS,
SHE HAS TO ASK WHAT IT IS.
AND ASK WHAT ELSE SHE CAN DO; SUCH AS ABUS, TO FIND
THESE ADDITIONAL MAMMOGRAPHICALLY
HIDDEN BREAST CANCERS.
AND ONCE YOU FIND OUT, ALSO LEARN ABOUT THESE MISCONCEPTIONS
THAT ARE OUT THERE AS WELL, CORRECT?
THAT'S RIGHT.
BREAST DENSITY CHANGES WITH AGE.
IT DECREASES, BUT 40% OF AMERICAN
WOMEN HAVE DENSE BREAST TISSUE.
IN WOMEN IN THERE FORTIES, IT'S 70%.
BUT MORE THAN A THIRD OF WOMEN IN THEIR 70'S HAVE DENSE BREAST
TISSUE.
REALLY.
SO REGARDLESS OF YOUR AGE, YOU MAY HAVE NORMAL DENSE BREAST
TISSUE WHICH MAY REQUIRE ADDITIONAL
IMAGING TO OPTIMIZE THE DIAGNOSIS OF
EARLY CURABLE BREAST CANCER.
THANK YOU SO MUCH DOCTOR FOR ALL THIS INFORMATION.
I'M GOING TO LOOK INTO THE ABUS AND I KNOW THERE IS A FAMOUS
LINE THAT SAYS,
"DIFFERENT TESTS FOR DIFFERENT BREASTS"
INDIVIDUALIZED SCREENING FOR ALL WOMEN.
WE ARE NOT THE SAME.
THANK SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.
AND OF COURSE, HEAD TO THEBALANCINGACT.COM
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND DON'T FORGET TO JOIN US
ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER.
AND FIND OUT IF YOU HAVE DENSE BREASTS.
VERY IMPORTANT, RIGHT DOCTOR?
ABSOLUTELY.
THERE YOU GO.
(MUSIC) (MUSIC).
GOOD MORNING, EVERYBODY, AND WELCOME TO THE BALANCING ACT.
I'M JULIE MORAN.
GOOD MORNING, I'M OLGA VILLAVERDE.
START YOUR DAY THE BALANCING ACT WAY!
YOU GOT IT!
WHAT?
WITH LIVELY CONVERSATION AND GREAT INFORMATION.
WE'RE SERVING UP TASTY TREATS, STYLE AND BEAUTY TIPS--.
(SINGING) REPAIR CREAM.
(LAUGHTER).
--PLUS, A DASH OF CELEBRITY DISH.
FROM FAMILY MATTERS TO HEALTHY LIVING SOLUTIONS, LIFE'S A
BALANCING ACT.
AND WE'RE HERE TO HELP.
(IN UNISON) THE BALANCING ACT.
WEEKDAY MORNINGS AT 7AM ON LIFETIME.
(IN UNISON) FIND YOUR BALANCE.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (MUSIC)
IF YOU'RE ONE OF MILLIONS OF BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS OUT
THERE-- CONGRATULATIONS!
AND YES, YOU OBVIOUSLY FEEL SO BLESSED TO BE ALIVE
BUT AT THE SAME TIME YOU PROBABLY ALSO
KNOW HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO FEEL PRETTY AGAIN.
A CANCER DIAGNOSIS IS EMOTIONAL AND TRAUMATIC.
BUT FOR A WOMAN THE LOSS OF A BREAST
CAN ALSO BE A DISTRESSING AND VERY PERSONAL LOSS.
BREAST RECONSTRUCTION HAS CERTAINLY
COME A LONG WAY OVER THE YEARS.
THANKS TO RENOWNED PLASTIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE
SURGEONS, LIKE MY GUEST, DR.
KRISTINA O'SHAUGHNESSY.
SHE'S HERE TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE SURGICAL CHALLENGES
AND NEW OPTIONS FOR BREAST RECONSTRUCTION.
ALONG WITH HER, ONE OF HER SPECIAL PATIENTS,
KIMBERLY COLLEY.
GOOD MORNING.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
THANK YOU.
KIMBERLY, LET ME START WITH YOU.
UMMM, CAN YOU SHARE YOUR PERSONAL STORY;
YOUR DIAGNOSIS?
I CAN; IN 2011, I WENT IN FOR MY REGULAR MAMMOGRAM-
-UH HUM AND IRONICALLY, I HAD ALMOST
CANCELLED THAT APPOINTMENT AND I WAS JUST
GONNA' PUT IT OFF JUST FOR A LITTLE BIT
AND UMMM, I TALKED MYSELF INTO FINALLY
JUST GOING, IT WAS NO BIG DEAL.
AND THAT WAS THE DAY MY CANCER WAS FOUND.
UMMM...A LOT OF THINGS HAPPENED REALLY
QUICK AFTER THAT.
YOU HAVE TO MAKE A LOT OF REALLY FAST DECISIONS.
AND I DECIDED TO HAVE A BILATERAL MASTECTOMY
FOLLOWED BY RECONSTRUCTION.
WERE YOU SCARED?
I WAS ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED.
-AHHH IT WAS THE SCARIEST THING I'VE
EVER GONE THROUGH IN MY ENTIRE LIFE.
DOCTOR, KIMBERLY'S STORY IS A STORY I'VE HEARD SO MUCH.
FROM A DOCTOR'S PERSPECTIVE, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE DIFFERENT
RECONSTRUCTIVE CHALLENGES WITH BREAST CANCER PATIENTS?
SURE, SO IN DISCUSSING THE TYPE AND TIMING OF BREAST
RECONSTRUCTION, I HAVE TO TAKE INTO
CONSIDERATION MANY FACTORS.
AND THE RECONSTRUCTIVE PLAN IS INDIVIDUALIZED FOR EACH
PATIENT.
FROM A PLASTIC SURGEON'S PERSPECTIVE,
THERE ARE MANY RECONSTRUCTIVE CHALLENGES.
AND THEY CAN BE DIVIDED UP INTO PATIENT
ISSUES, SUCH AS COMORBIDITIES, OR INTO PREVIOUS BREAST
SURGERIES OR PREVIOUS BREAST TREATMENTS,
SUCH A RADIATION.
UMMM, OR ISSUES RELATED TO THE MASTECTOMY ITSELF.
AS FAR AS ONE OF THE MAIN RECONSTRUCTIVE CHALLENGES; IT
HAS TO DO WITH PATIENT ISSUES THAT
MAY CAUSE ADVERSE ISSUES WITH WOUND HEALING
AT THE TIME OF THE MASTECTOMY.
PREVIOUS BREAST SURGERY CAN LEAD TO SCARING.
PREVIOUS RADIATION THERAPY CAN CAUSE EXTENSIVE TISSUE
DAMAGE.
AND THEN AT THE TIME OF MASTECTOMY,
THERE CAN BE OBLITERATION OF THE BREAST BORDERS THAT WE NEED TO
RECREATE.
SO WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU'RE FACED WITH ALL OF
THESE CHALLENGES, DOCTOR?
WELL, THE GOAL OF BREAST RECONSTRUCTION IS
TO RECREATE THE BREAST.
AND THERE ARE MANY OPTIONS TO DO THAT.
YOU CAN USE IMPLANT-BASED RECONSTRUCTION LIKE KIMBERLY
HAD.
OR YOU CAN USE YOUR OWN TISSUES, IN THE FORM OF TISSUE FROM
EITHER THE BELLY, THE BACK OR ABDOMEN.
AND IT REALLY DEPENDS ON EACH PATIENT'S INDIVIDUAL SITUATION.
IF A PATIENT HAS HAD EXTENSIVE TISSUE DAMAGE FROM PREVIOUS
SURGERY OR RADIATION SURGERY, THEN IT MIGHT BE BEST FOR THE
PATIENT TO USE THEIR OWN TISSUES FOR
RECONSTRUCTION.
BUT, IF A PATIENT IS GOING TO UNDERGO
RADIATION THERAPY, AFTER A MASTECTOMY,
WE MAY WANT TO START WITH AN EXPANDER.
THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL INNOVATED
TECHNOLOGIES ACELLULAR DERMAL MATRICES
OR TISSUE GRAFTS THAT HAVE EXPANDED THE OPTIONS FOR BREAST
RECONSTRUCTION.
AND HAS ALLOWED US TO RECONSTRUCT
BREASTS WITH ADVANCED TECHNIQUES OVER SOME OF THE TECHNIQUES
AVAILABLE TODAY.
I'M REALLY GLAD WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS
BECAUSE I DIDN'T REALIZE ALL OF THE FACTORS INVOLVED.
WHEN WE COME BACK, WE'RE GONNA TALK
MORE WITH THE DOCTOR AND KIMBERLY
BECAUSE COMING UP AFTER THE BREAK
WE'RE GOING TO HEAR MORE ABOUT SOME OF
THE GROUNDBREAKING TECHNIQUES AND TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE NOW
AVAILABLE TO SURGEONS LIKE DR.
O'SHAUGHNESSY AND PATIENTS LIKE KIMBERLY WHO
ARE LOOKING TO FEEL WHOLE AGAIN
AFTER BREAST CANCER.
STAY RIGHT THERE.
(MUSIC) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC) WELCOME BACK.
WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A VERY SPECIAL EPISODE OF THE BALANCING
ACT DEDICATED TO BREAST CANCER.
I'D LIKE TO WELCOME BACK, KIMBERLY COLLEY
AND DR.
KRISTINA O'SHAUGHNESSY.
BEFORE THE BREAK, WE WERE DISCUSSING KIMBERLY'S BREAST
CANCER JOURNEY AND SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT
PLASTIC SURGEONS LIKE, DR.
O'SHAUGHNESSY FACE
WHEN TRYING TO RECONSTRUCT A WOMAN'S BREAST AFTER CANCER.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING ME AGAIN.
KIMBERLY, I'M GOING TO START WITH YOU.
TELL ME WHAT YOU OPTED FOR AFTER YOUR DIAGNOSIS AND WHAT YOU DID.
I WENT WITH THE BILATERAL MASTECTOMY.
-OKAY.
I HAVE A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT
OF TISSUE LOST IN MY LEFT SIDE.
I HAD TISSUE REINFORCEMENT AND THEN
I DID THE FAT GRAFTING.
AND I EVEN GOT A LITTLE BIT OF LIPOSUCTION.
OH, WELL, WHOO-WHOO!
WHY NOT RIGHT?
OF COURSE!
HA-HA (LAUGHTER) THAT'S A BONUS.
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT IT WAS.
(LAUGHTER) DOCTOR, TALK TO ME ABOUT THIS
TECHNIQUES IF YOU WILL.
SURE.
SO THE TISSUE GRAFT THAT KIMBERLY IS REFERRING TO IS
ACELLULAR DERMAL MATRIX OR REGENERATIVE TISSUE MATRIX
CALLED ALLODERM AND IT'S FROM LIFECELL.
AND IT'S PROCESSED IN SUCH A WAY THAT THE CELLS ARE REMOVED.
IT'S DONATED FROM HUMANS AND THERE
IS PROPRIETARY TECHNIQUE AFTER THE CELLS ARE REMOVED,
YOU ARE LEFT WITH A SCAFFOLD THAT
THE PATIENT'S OWN BLOOD VESSELS AND CELLS CAN THEN GROW INTO.
-REALLY?
AND SO IT BECOMES OF THEM; IT'S REGENERATIVE.
IT ACTS TISSUE SO IT MINIMIZES THE RISK OF REJECTION.
SO AT THE TIME OF MASTECTOMY, A TISSUE EXPANDER IS PLACED AND
THEN ALLODERM IS SUTURED FROM THE
MUSCLE DOWN TO THE CHEST WALL TO
HELP TO RECREATE THE BREAST BORDERS
AND TO ALSO HELP TO SUPPLEMENT OR
REINFORCE THE WEAKENED TISSUE THAT CAN BE DAMAGED AT THE TIME
OF MASTECTOMY.
I USED TO HAVE RAISE SURROUNDING MUSCLES
-AHH UMM AND THAT WAS VERY PAINFUL FOR
PATIENTS AND IT WAS ALSO VERY TRAUMATIC.
I NO LONGER HAVE TO DO THAT WITH THE
USE OF ALLODERM.
NOW WHAT ABOUT FAT GRAFTING PROCEDURES?
SO, FAT CELLS ARE TAKEN FROM OTHER
AREAS OF THE BODY; WHERE THERE IS EXCESS
SUCH AS THE ABDOMEN OR THE THIGHS,
AND THEN IT'S TRANSFERRED TO THE BREAST,
TO FILL IN CONTOUR DEFORMITIES OR TO RESTORE SHAPE OR VOLUME.
AND THE FAT IS TAKEN WITH TRADITIONAL
LIPOSUCTION TECHNIQUES AND CANNULAS
LIKE KIMBERLY DESCRIBED.
SO PATIENTS WILL GET AN ADDED BENEFIT TO IT.
SO, TRADITIONALLY, FAT GRAFTING HAS BEEN
A LITTLE BIT UNPREDICTABLE AND THAT'S BECAUSE OF VARIABLE
ABSORPTION RATES.
AND IT'S BECAUSE THERE IS NO STANDARDIZATION OF THE
PROCESSING STEP IN FAT GRAFTING.
SO, A NEW TECHNOLOGY CALLED, THE REVOLVE SYSTEM,
ALLOWS US TO EFFECTIVELY HARVEST AND PROCESS LARGE VOLUMES OF
HIGH QUALITY FAT FOR REINFECTION
INTO THE BREAST AFTER MASTECTOMY.
REVOLVE CONTROLS MANY OF THE CRITICAL VARIABLES THAT ARE
IMPORTANT IN THE PROCESSING STEP OF FAT GRAFTING.
AND ARE ALL THESE NEW TECHNOLOGIES FOR ALL PATIENTS?
WELL, BREAST RECONSTRUCTION IS INDIVIDUALIZED FOR EACH PATIENT.
-SURE.
SO I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR EACH PATIENT TO TALK WITH
THEIR SURGEON ABOUT THE RISKS AND BENEFITS OF BOTH ALLODERM
AND REVOLVE TO BE SURE THEY ARE RIGHT FOR THAT PATIENT.
INNOVATIONS AND ADVANCES FOR BREAST
RECONSTRUCTION SUCH AS, REVOLVE AND ALLODERM HAVE REALLY
CHANGED BREAST RECONSTRUCTION.
IT'S OPENED UP MANY OPTIONS AND IT'S ALLOWED US TO OPTIMIZE
OUTCOMES FOR PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER
WHO HAVE TO UNDERGO BILATERAL MASTECTOMY
LIKE KIMBERLY.
AND I DO WANT TO BRING YOU IN KIMBERLY, IN TERMS OF YOUR
OUTCOME.
YOU LOOK GORGEOUS.
-THANK YOU.
I KNOW YOU'RE FEELING GREAT.
TELL ME WHERE YOU ARE TODAY.
I'M DOING FABULOUS!
I'M IN REMISSION.
AND I AM JUST DOING WONDERFUL.
I HAVE HAD CANCER, BUT CANCER HAS NEVER HAD ME.
THANK YOU, SO MUCH.
GOD BLESS YOU.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THANK YOU SO MUCH SWEETHEART.
DOCTOR, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE INFORMATION.
YOU'VE TAUGHT ME A LOT TODAY AND I'M VERY HAPPY TO HAVE YOU
HERE.
COME BACK WITH ANYTHING NEW YOU MIGHT HAVE TO TELL US, OKAY?
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AGAIN, GOOD LUCK TO YOU KIMBERLY.
THANK YOU.
AND MAKE SURE TO HEAD TO THEBALANCINGACT.COM
FOR MORE INFORMATION.
THAT'S THEBALANCINGACT.COM
AND DON'T FORGET TO JOIN US ALWAYS ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER.
(MUSIC) THIS FALL, CATCH THE BALANCING
ACT MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAYS
STARTING AT 7:30 AM.
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY, STARTING AT 7:00 AM.
RIGHT HERE ON LIFETIME.
(MUSIC) THANKS FOR SPENDING PART OF YOUR
MORNING WITH US.
YOU CAN HAVE THAT SECOND CUP OF COFFEE.
THIRD CUP.
THERE WE ARE.
HA-HA (LAUGHTER) WE ARE TOO.
WE HOPE WE'VE SHED SOME LIGHT ON BREAST CANCER NEW TESTING
OPTIONS AND NEW RECONSTRUCTIVE TECHNIQUES.
REALLY IMPORTANT INFORMATION.
AND REMEMBER LOTS MORE ON OUR WEBSITE, IT'S
THE BALANCING ACT DOT COM THAT'S
THEBALANCINGACT.COM THAT'S VERY GOOD.
THANK YOU FOR REPEATING THAT.
(LAUGHTER) FIND US FACEBOOK AND
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER.
UNTIL NEXT TIME, REMEMBER TO
(IN UNISON) FIND YOUR BALANCE!
SO LONG EVERYBODY.
BYE-BYE.
(MUSIC) TODAY'S ACCUWEATHER SEGMENT IS
BROUGHT TO YOU BY, STATE FARM.
FOR AUTO, HOME, LIFE AND BANKING, GET TO A BETTER STATE.
(MUSIC) (MUSIC)