-Capsular Contracture, the most frequent side effect with the surgical site getting stiff and pain causing
-Developing the world first functional implant with Tranilast in it to inhibit TGF-β, the material to trigger capsular contracture
-Being published on the latest Journal of Controlled Release, internationally authoritative academic journal
Most surgeries on cancer are undergone with incision of cancer cells. In case of breast cancer, however, many patients appeal their psychological problems since it is not easy to shrink the surgical traces.
Actually many patients confess they are under a lot of stress while thinking they lost their symbol of femineity, which some doctors say, can be equally compared to men’s losing their penis.
In light of this, those patients who excised their breast often consider breast reconstruction surgery, in which silicon-based implant is inserted in bosom to keep the shape of breast.
Nonetheless, there are many complications in breast reconstruction surgery, among which capsular contracture is highly likely to occur. Human body normally forms a thin film when alien substances come in, but if it goes wrong with excessive or stiff films, it is called capsular contracture.
February 10, the medical team led by Prof. Huh Chan-young in Seoul National University Bundang Hospital(www.snubh.org) announced that they succeeded in developing the world first functional implant including the material inhibiting capsular contracture, the most frequent side effect of breast surgery.
The medical team took a close look on the step where capsular contracture occurs at first. If breast implant is inserted, blood platelet is activated to secrete Transforming Growth Factor beta (TGF-β). TGF-β works on gathering monocytes around the implant. Monocytes are kind of white blood cells being divided into macrophages to secrete TGF-β again, which causes fibroblast around inflammation. The integrated collagen during the process leads to capsular contracture.
The medical team thought that it is imperative to inhibit TGF-β in blood platelet and made a conclusion that injecting the drug named Tranilast works effectively as an inhibitor and reduce the inflammatory response.
Test results of the team proved that Tranilast successfully inhibited the vitalization of TGF-β in blood platelet which directly led to reducing the number of monocytes. After that, the division of macrophages phased out and activities of fibroblast was inhibited. As a result, integrated collagen shrank considerably to inhibit capsular contracture.
When the effect of Tranilast was established, the SNU medical team tried harder to enhance the effect and finally revealed that the functional implant with Poly Lactic-co-Glycolic-Acid (PLGA) in it can release the drug for long, thereby significantly inhibiting capsular contracture.
By Lee Jae-seung
