Post-Mastectomy Implant Complications in the Hispanic Breast Cancer Patient Population

CONTE, BRIANNA, et al. “Post-Mastectomy Implant Complications in the Hispanic Breast Cancer Patient Population.” Anticancer Research, vol. 43, no. 11, Nov. 2023, pp. 4953–4959, https://doi.org/10.21873/anticanres.16693. Accessed 12 May 2025.

Research Paper

Background

Breast cancer is a very common type of cancer and is a main cause of death for Hispanic women. Doctors have found that Hispanic patients are often diagnosed at a later stage of the disease compared to non-Hispanic white patients. After a mastectomy, which is surgery to remove the breast, many women choose to have breast reconstruction with an implant. However, a different study showed that Hispanic or Latino patients have a lower chance of receiving implant reconstruction compared to white patients.

Sometimes, after a mastectomy, patients also need radiation therapy to help make sure they are cancer-free. This is called Post-Mastectomy Radiation Therapy (PMRT). While PMRT helps reduce the chance of cancer coming back, it can also lead to problems with breast implants. The most common problems are pain, capsular contracture (when scar tissue tightens around the implant), and infection.

Methods

This study looked at complications in patients who had a mastectomy and implant reconstruction. The study analyzed data from a total of 317 patients. Of these, 302 patients had 467 mastectomy procedures with implants that were included in the analysis of complications. They analyzed different factors to see what might cause these problems. The study looked at all patients, whether they had radiation therapy or not, and then also specifically compared patients who did receive radiation therapy. A total of 72 patients (24%) received radiation therapy to one breast.

Results

When the entire group of patients was studied, there was no major difference in the overall number of complications between Hispanic and non-Hispanic patients. However, the study found a trend that Hispanic women who had radiation therapy had more complications than non-Hispanic women who also had radiation.

Figure 1. The Big Picture

This figure shows no significant difference between Hispanic and non-Hispanic groups when looking at both cohorts (patients who received radiation therapy and patients who did not).

Figure 2. PMRT Impact on Overall Complications

This figure shows increased overall complication rates (71%) after post-mastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) in Hispanic patients compared to non-Hispanic patients (53%).

Figure 3. PMRT Impact on Capsular Contracture

This figure shows increased capsular contracture rates (39.5%) after post-mastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) in Hispanic patients compared to non-Hispanic patients (32.4%).

Figure 4. PMRT Impact on Implant Loss

This figure shows increased implant loss rates (44.7%) after post-mastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) in Hispanic patients compared to non-Hispanic patients (26.5%).

Why This Matters

This foundational study is a crucial first step. It may highlight a potential difference in how Hispanic patients' bodies respond to radiation and underscores the urgent need for larger, more diverse studies. Understanding these differences is key to improving care and outcomes for all breast cancer patients.

Conclusion/Future Implications

The study concluded that more research is needed to understand why Hispanic patients might have more side effects from radiation therapy after their surgery. Hispanic ethnicity is a significant independent risk factor for developing capsular contracture following implant-based reconstruction, particularly when combined with radiation therapy. This highlights the urgent need for further research into the biological underpinnings of this disparity and underscores the importance of tailored, ethnicity-specific counseling for patients to set realistic expectations about reconstructive outcomes.