Many aspects of cancer treatment are known, but perhaps the most unknown of them all is the reconstructive role played by plastic surgery. The reality is that the participation of the plastic surgeon specialized in oncological reconstruction is very active, since he is in charge of the removal of large tumors of the head and neck and skull base or performs surgeries that allow the preservation, for example, of extremities in cases of sarcomas, with all that this entails for the patient.
That is, apart from removing the tumor, the plastic surgeon allows the recovery of the aesthetics and functionality of the affected part with the aim that the patient can recover all social, occupational and emotional activities quickly after treatment. Thus, plastic surgery in the treatment of cancer can make a patient smile again after a facial paralysis caused by the tumor or a patient leaves the operating room with both breasts after a mastectomy because in the same intervention the plastic surgeon has reconstructed the lost breast.
Immediate reconstruction
Nowadays, immediate reconstruction in the same operation is a great advantage for the patient. This immediate reconstruction is performed with the latest microsurgical and endoscopic techniques and regenerative surgery with stem cells. Thus, previously irreversible injuries such as limb amputation, severe facial paralysis, mastectomies and permanent deformities are no longer a stigma of cancer. Plastic surgery in the treatment of cancer plays an important role in the reconstruction of the affected part, which helps the patient to overcome the disease with the least possible consequences.