Post-cancer reconstructive surgery

Reconstructive surgery is an integral part of the cancer care pathway. It aims to restore the shape and appearance of an operated area — the breast after mastectomy is the most frequent example — and makes an essential contribution to quality of life and to rebuilding one's self after the illness. Several techniques exist: reconstruction with an implant, reconstruction using the patient's own tissues (flaps), or combined techniques, complemented if needed by symmetrisation procedures and reconstruction of the areola. Reconstruction can be immediate, during the same operation as the removal, or delayed until after the end of treatment: this choice is discussed case by case with the team. At Clinique Pasteur Tunis, the reconstruction project is addressed from the outset of treatment planning, in consultation with the oncologist in order to choose the most appropriate timing. Patients receive complete information about the possible techniques and attentive support, step by step, through to the final result.