The impact of immediate breast reconstruction on the time to delivery of adjuvant therapy: the iBRA-2 study

Background: Immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) is routinely offered to improve quality-of-life for women requiring mastectomy, but there are concerns that more complex surgery may delay adjuvant oncological treatments and compromise long-term outcomes. High-quality evidence is lacking. The iBRA-2 study aimed to investigate the impact of IBR on time to adjuvant therapy. Methods: Consecutive women undergoing mastectomy ± IBR for breast cancer July–December, 2016 were included. Patient demographics, operative, oncological and complication data were collected. Time from last definitive cancer surgery to first adjuvant treatment for patients undergoing mastectomy ± IBR were compared and risk factors associated with delays explored. Results: A total of 2540 patients were recruited from 76 centres; 1008 (39.7%) underwent IBR (implant-only [n = 675, 26.6%]; pedicled flaps [n = 105,4.1%] and free-flaps [n = 228, 8.9%]). Complications requiring re-admission or re-operation were significantly more common in patients undergoing IBR than those receiving mastectomy. Adjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy was required by 1235 (48.6%) patients. No clinically significant differences were seen in time to adjuvant therapy between patient groups but major complications irrespective of surgery received were significantly associated with treatment delays. Conclusions: IBR does not result in clinically significant delays to adjuvant therapy, but post-operative complications are associated with treatment delays. Strategies to minimise complications, including careful patient selection, are required to improve outcomes for patients

Ultra-wideband fractal ring antenna for biomedical applications

Abstract In this paper, an efficient, coplanar waveguide (CPW)-fed printed circular ring fractal ultra-wideband (UWB) antenna is presented for biomedical applications. In UWB technology, short-range wireless communication is possible with low transceiving power, a characteristic that is particularly advantageous in the context of microwave and millimeter-wave (mmWave) medical imaging. In the proposed antenna configuration, the UWB response is achieved by introducing wedged slots in the radiating patch, designed on a low-loss substrate. A CPW partial ground plane is truncated from the edges to optimize the antenna impedance. Experimental results indicate the antenna’s robust performance across the frequency range of 3.2–20 GHz. The well-matched measured and simulated results confirm our contribution’s employability. Furthermore, a time-domain study offers valuable insights into how the antenna responds to transient signals, highlighting its responsiveness and adaptability to biomedical applications