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| |  Technology Helps Increase Breast Tissue After Partial Mastectomy: Presented at SABCS By Janet Fricker SAN ANTONIO, TX -- December 17, 2007 -- The first clinical trial looking at a novel technology for cell-enhanced breast reconstruction in patients who have undergone partial mastectomy shows significant results for increased volume of breast tissue, reports a Japanese study presented at the 30th Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS). The Celution (TM) system, developed by Cytori Therapeutics Inc., automates and standardizes the separation and concentration of the patient's own adipose tissue-derived stem and regenerative cells from body fat. The concept behind the technology is that the stem cells produce growth factors and cytokines that enable the growth of blood vessels and the successful engraftment of fat. "Historically, fat transfers haven't worked well because they don't have a blood supply and hence fat gets absorbed," explained principal investigator Kaoru Kitamura, MD, Surgeon, Kyushu Central Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan, "Here the introduction of stem cells enables the revascularization of the fat tissue and allows it to become firmly established in the body." In the investigator-led study, 21 patients who had previously received breast conservation therapy (19 also received radiation therapy) underwent 25 stem cell reconstruction procedures. All subjects were deemed to be free of any local recurrence or distant metastasis. In the procedure, fat was harvested by liposuction from different sites in the body. The aspirated tissue was then divided into two equal portions, one of which was used as the primary filler material, while the other was reserved for processing to obtain stem and regenerative cells with the Celution system. The system works by freeing up the stem and regenerative cells from the connective tissue, separating the cells from the waste material. Finally both portions are combined and injected into the breast void that needs filling. For each patient the volume of fat to be implanted was determined by clinical evaluation of the volume of the defect, the severity of radiation damage, residual scarring, and fibrosis. Using ultrasound, investigators measured the average tissue thickness from the most prominent indentation of the scar to the pectoral muscle. Results show that thickness increased from 6 mm at baseline to 17 mm after 1 month (P <.05). Furthermore, the thickness was 15 mm at 6 months, demonstrating that there had not been any significant loss of tissue from the 1-month measurement. When interviewed, 79% of the patients reported satisfaction with their cosmetic results. "The procedure helps to lessen the physical and emotional impact of partial mastectomy by permanently restoring the natural appearance of the breast," said Dr. Kitamura. "For example, one patient who felt unable to show her breasts to her husband after surgery felt able to do so after the procedure. For one quarter of women the results were so good that you wouldn't have known they'd had breast cancer surgery."
[Presentation title: Stem Cell Augmented Reconstruction: A New Hope for Reconstruction After Breast Cancer Conservation Therapy. Abstract 4071]
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