Author(s)

Maria Giovanna Scioli, Valerio Cervelli, Pietro Gentile, Alessandra Bielli, Roberto Bellini, Augusto Orlandi

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Anatomic Pathology, Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. Patients, in particular young women, after surgical removal of the tumor have a poorer quality of life and psychological problems. Plastic surgery procedures for breast reconstruction, including autologous fat grafting, concur to reduce cosmetic and psychological problems. The maintenance of the transplanted fat is partially due to the presence of resident adipose derived-stem cells (ASCs). The latter can be isolated by digestion and centrifugation from the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) of subcutaneous adipose tissue. Intraoperatory SVF/ASC enrichment has been proposed to stabilize and optimalize autologous fat engraftment for breast reconstructive surgery after mastectomy, but the safety of these procedures is still uncertain. Although the literature offers contrasting opinions concerning the effects of ASCs on cancer growth according to the tumor type, at the present time ASC implementation for regenerative medicine therapies should be carefully considered in patients previously treated for breast cancer. At the present, reconstructive therapy utilizing ASC-enriched fat grafting should be postponed until there is no evidence of active disease.

Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells; Breast Cancer; Breast Reconstruction; Fat Grafting

Scioli, M. , Cervelli, V. , Gentile, P. , Bielli, A. , Bellini, R. and Orlandi, A. (2013) Human adipose tissue-derived stem cells in breast reconstruction following surgery for cancer: A controversial issue. Stem Cell Discovery, 3, 164-166. doi: 10.4236/scd.2013.33021.