Clinical study and multiscale modeling to predict the esthetic outcome of Breast Conservative Therapy

Surgery for early stage breast cancer is either mastectomy (complete breast removal) or surgical lumpectomy (tumor removal only) coupled with radiotherapy, commonly known as Breast Conserving Therapy (BCT). The main goal of BCT is to preserve the breast contour in order to improve the quality of life of the patient after the surgery. Our hypothesis is that the mechanical forces due to gravity, the breast density and tissue distribution, the inflammation induced by radiotherapy and the wound healing all play a role in determining the success or failure of BCT in preserving the contour of the breast.

In order to predict and optimize the outcome of BCT, we are developing a patient-specific, multi-scale model aiming to:
1. Predict the immediate outcome of lumpectomy surgery based on the tumor size and location.
2. Predict at long term the healing of the surgical wound and the influence of inflammation, radiation therapy and scar tissues on the breast contour.
3. Test our predictive model on patients undergoing BCT and identify targets to help improve BCT outcome.