Autologous Fat Grafting To The Breast And Adipose-Derived Stem Cells

Autologous fat grafting to the breast has been used as an adjunct to reconstructive breast surgery, for postmastectomy pain and in irradiated skin. Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) have been proposed as a supplement to the fat graft in an attempt to improve graft survival. Fat grafting to the breast has gained popularity with the development of improved harvesting and transplanting techniques. As an adjunct to reconstructive surgery, reported complication rates have been low; however, the clinical effectiveness, interference with screening mammography and the oncologic safety of fat grafting to the breast is still unclear. The use of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) in conjunction with fat grafting to the breast represents a potential new advance in the field of regenerative medicine. Although there is a possible role that these stem cells could play a role in graft survival through both adipogenesis and angiogenesis, a complete understanding of the mechanisms of interactions among adipose stem cells and growth factors is lacking, as is the understanding of any possible role they may have in tumorigenesis. The way to control ADSC differentiation and the fate of the stem cells also remains unknown. Controlled prospective trials are needed to further investigate the many unanswered questions relating to the application of autologous fat grafting to the breast, with or without the use of ADSCs in conjunction with this procedure. The impact of fat grafting to the breast and the use of ADSCs on net health outcome is unknown and therefore, is considered to be investigational. <a id="