NEW DELHI: Breast cancer treatment does not always end when the cancer is removed. For many women, living with the physical and emotional effects of losing a breast can remain part of recovery. Two women from New Delhi, aged 57 and 67, are now choosing breast reconstruction, challenging the idea that the procedure is meant only for younger women.
Both underwent breast reconstruction at Amrita Hospital, Faridabad, under Dr Shikha Gupta, Senior Consultant, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and her team. In both cases, their adult children encouraged them to explore their options, bringing a deeply personal dimension to decisions about health, confidence and quality of life after breast cancer.
Their experiences also highlight a wider gap in India, where breast reconstruction remains uncommon despite evidence that many women would consider it after mastectomy.
Fifty-seven year old Sarita Sharma (name changed), has two daughters pursuing higher education. She said their encouragement helped her consider a procedure she had not thought about at this stage of her life.
“At this stage in my life, I never thought that I would consider breast reconstruction. My daughters told me to learn the process and think about what I wanted for myself. Mothers spend a lot of their lives thinking about their children. This time my daughters reminded me that my well-being is important too.”
The second patient, Gurmeet Kaur (name changed), is a widow in her late 60s. Her two sons — one employed at a multinational corporation and the other an Army colonel — encouraged her to learn about reconstruction and make her own decision.
“I had reached an age where I thought some decisions were not for women like me. “But my sons encouraged me to find out about breast reconstruction and decide for myself. Their support was a lot for me.” It made me realise that growing older doesn’t mean we should stop thinking about our own comfort confidence and happiness.
Their stories underline the role families can play in helping women consider options that may otherwise remain unexplored. They also challenge the assumption that age alone should determine whether reconstruction is worth considering.
The two cases echo the findings of a 2021 study published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery – Global Open, which surveyed 10,299 Indian women about breast reconstruction.
The study found that 76.5% of respondents said they would prefer reconstruction after mastectomy, while only 48.8% knew that the procedure was available. The researchers also noted that fewer than 1% of women in India underwent breast reconstruction after mastectomy, pointing to a substantial gap between interest and access.
The survey included women from Tamil Nadu and Kerala, so its findings should not be taken as a nationally representative estimate of all Indian women.
The study also found that 77.5% of respondents believed women could experience depression after mastectomy. Cost and the length of surgery emerged as barriers when women were given details of a complex reconstruction technique.
The findings by Dr R Raja Shanmugakrishnan and Dr S Raja Sabapathy, both from the Department of Plastic, Hand, and Reconstructive Microsurgery, Ganga Hospital, Coimbatore suggest that awareness alone may not be enough. Women also need access to specialist teams, clear information about available procedures and their risks, and care they can afford.
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in India. Estimates from the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s GLOBOCAN 2022 data put the number of new cases among Indian women at about 1.92 lakh that year, accounting for 26.6% of all new cancer cases among women in the country.
Mastectomy, in which the breast is removed, remains necessary for some patients, depending on the type and stage of cancer and other clinical factors. Reconstruction may be performed at the time of mastectomy or at a later stage, depending on the patient’s treatment plan and suitability for surgery. It is not required by every patient, and breast-conserving surgery may be an option for some women with early-stage disease.
“Reconstructive surgery is changing what women can expect after breast cancer treatment. Breast reconstruction is a safe procedure and does increase the risk of breast cancer recurrence and does not affect the detection of breast cancer recurrence.” says Dr Gupta.
Modern reconstruction may use implants or tissue taken from another part of the patient’s body. In selected cases, surgeons use detailed preoperative planning, CT angiography and microsurgery to map blood vessels and reconstruct breast tissue. Sensory reconstruction techniques may also involve reconnecting nerves in an effort to restore some sensation, although the degree of recovery varies, said the experts.
