The Plastic Surgery Foundation
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CRAFT

Project Title: Cancer Risk After Fat Transfer (CRAFT)

Principal Investigators: Clara Lee, MD and Terry Myckatyn, MD

In recent years, autologous fat grafting to the breast has become an increasingly popular plastic surgery technique used in breast cancer patients as a part of reconstruction after breast conservation therapy or mastectomy. The procedure involves aspiration of fat from the patient's trunk or thighs and injection into the breast for augmentation or correction of contour deformities. Although the technique shows great promise, epidemiologic studies of the technique's oncologic safety have been lacking. To meet this need, this study evaluated the relative risk of breast cancer recurrence after autologous fat grafting to the breast compared to not receiving fat grafting in a hospital-based population of stages I, II and III breast cancer patients who had mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. Four cancer centers participated in the study:

  • MD Anderson Cancer Center
  • Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
  • University of Chicago
  • Washington University St. Louis

This study is now complete and the findings are published in a manuscript in PRS. Supporting video available at: Fat Transfer After Mastectomy, is it Safe?

Myckatyn et al. Cancer Recurrence After Fat Transfer (CRAFT) - A Multicenter Case-Cohort Study. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. 2017 Jan; 139(1):11-18