ArticlePlastic and reconstructive surgery2025
Age Impacts Clinical and Patient-Reported Outcomes following Postmastectomy Breast Reconstruction.
Article in Plastic and reconstructive surgery, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Postmastectomy Breast Reconstruction in Patients with Non-Metastatic Breast Cancer: An Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) Clinical Practice Guideline.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2025Guideline
- Postmastectomy Breast Reconstruction in Patients with Non-Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2025Pooled it
- Management of Asymptomatic Breast Implant Rupture in Older Adult Patients: A Scoping Review, Discussion, and Recommendations.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2026Article
- Autologous vs. implant-based breast reconstruction and long-term mental disorder risk: a retrospective cohort study emulating a target trial.International journal of surgery (London, England) · 2026Article
- Patient Satisfaction with Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy Followed by Implant-Based Breast Reconstruction in Early-Stage Breast Cancer Patients Using the BREAST-Q Scale 2.0 Vietnamese Version.Journal of patient experience · 2026Article
- Organoid-Like Neurovascular Spheroids Promote the Recovery of Hypoxic-Ischemic Skin Flaps Through the Activation of Autophagy.Advanced healthcare materials · 2025Article
- Direct-to-implant Prepectoral Breast Reconstruction in Women Older Than 65 Years: Analysis of Safety and Patient-reported Outcome.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAlthough the current literature indicates that age should not be a deterring factor in postmastectomy breast reconstruction, the true impact of increasing age on postoperative outcomes remains unknown. The purpose of this study is to understand the impact of age on complications and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) using the BREAST-Q longitudinally 5 years after postmastectomy breast reconstruction.
methodsThe authors conducted a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent autologous (ABR) or implant-based reconstruction (IBR). Age was studied as both a categorical and a continuous variable. Outcome measures included complications and BREAST-Q scores preoperatively, at 6 months, and 1 to 5 years postoperatively.
resultsA total of 4730 patients were included, of which 1536 (32.5%) underwent ABR and 3194 (67.5%) underwent IBR. Older age was significantly associated with increased risk of developing mastectomy skin flap/nipple necrosis, infection, and seroma. Older age was negatively correlated with Satisfaction with Breasts (β = -0.06 [95% CI, -0.12 to -0.01]; P = 0.033) and positively correlated with Psychosocial Well-being (β = 0.14 [95% CI, 0.09 to 0.20]; P < 0.001). Older age was not correlated with Physical Well-being of the Chest (β = -0.03 [95% CI, 0.08 to 0.02]; P = 0.2) or Sexual Well-being (β = -0.04 [95% CI, -0.12 to 0.02]; P = 0.2). Subgroup analyses of ABR and IBR patients demonstrated different complications and PRO profiles.
conclusionsThe authors' analysis of the impact of age on surgical outcomes and PROs suggests that complication rates increase with age, and older age is negatively correlated with Satisfaction with Breasts but positively correlated with Psychosocial Well-being. Overall, older patients should be informed about the potential associated risks and anticipated PROs. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Risk, II.
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