Four cancer survivors became the first women to undergo specialised breast-reconstruction surgery locally at Doctors Hospital as part of a collaboration between Dr. Anne Dancey, the hospital and Cayman Surgery Group.
The procedure, called bilateral deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap surgery, was offered for the first time in Cayman at Doctors Hospital and were performed by Dancey, Dr. Tanja Ebanks and Dr. Keith Allison, a statement from Doctors Hospital said.
The series of procedures was also part of a collaboration with the Cayman Islands Breast Cancer Foundation.
“A Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator (DIEP) free flap is considered to be the gold standard plastic surgical technique for breast reconstruction. This autologous procedure (only using the patient’s own tissue) involves completely detaching excess tissue from the abdomen and transferring it to the chest to create a breast,” Dancey said in a statement as she explained what the surgery entailed.
‘Very complex surgery’
The four breast cancer patients who went under the knife for the surgeries were between the ages of 30-60 and the procedures were conducted over a week.
They were all happy with the results, the statement added.
“Breast cancer affects patients of all ages and backgrounds and every patient should be entitled to reconstructive surgery irrespective of their age or background. It is a privilege to be able to work with breast cancer patients and their support, patience and positivity makes this immensely rewarding surgery and I am lucky to be in Cayman and able to provide the surgery they deserve,” Dancey said.
Dancey, in the statement, said, performing DIEP Flap Surgery is a “very complex procedure which requires much precision and skill”, resulting in a limited number of usually tertiary hospitals worldwide providing this procedure in their service offering.
“However, through our exciting partnership with Cayman Surgery Group and Cayman Islands Breast Cancer Foundation, Doctors Hospital have now joined the small percentage of hospitals worldwide that offer this procedure and the first hospital to bring this service to the Cayman Islands – all with our main mission in mind of providing an unwavering commitment to your changing health,” she said.
Hope for patients on island
She explained that the journey leading up to the implementation of the new-to-island procedure “was not all smooth sailing but through a strong combined effort we have been able to help offer greater support to both the breast cancer patients and the surgical team” along with overcoming the challenges of cost of equipment, specialist training.
“Doctors Hospital, Cayman Surgery and the Breast Cancer Foundation shared my vision to make this procedure available to Cayman patients. Without all their support and tireless dedication this would not have been possible… Doctors Hospital purchased the equipment needed as well as training the staff and allowing us to have the theatre time we required. The Breast Cancer Foundation[‘s] dedication to breast cancer patients has also been essential. The support staff at Cayman Surgery also deserve enormous credit in helping with all the planning and co-ordination that has been required,” Dancey said in the statement.
Jennifer Williams, Doctors Hospital director of operations and chief nurse, speaking on the successful surgeries, said, “[Doctors Hospital] is happy to be working with Dr Tanja Ebanks and Dr Anne Dancey as the first hospital to [offer] this procedure on the island. There were many wins during this successful course of procedures, but to be able to help the community is the biggest reward.”
Dancey welcomed the collective surgical team effort saying she was “impressed” with how the theatre and ward staff embraced the new procedure and rapidly learnt what they needed to do.
“It is very specialist requiring a new set of skills and yet they were better than many of the staff I have in the UK who assist me regularly with microsurgery…Bilateral procedures take 10 hours to perform; as a surgeon they are physically and mentally demanding. I was so grateful to have the support of a colleague from the UK, Dr Keith Allison, who kindly gave his time and energy to perform the surgery with me to make this run as smoothly as possible and provide the care that breast cancer patients deserve. I am also incredibly grateful for Dr Tanja Ebanks and Tatiana Kosinchar who assisted in theatre tirelessly and remained enthusiastic and cheerful no matter how long it took,” added Dancey.
Dancey feels the future of DIEP flap surgeries in the Cayman Islands is “promising” and with the proper specialist training having been received, the equipment now accessible and available, she said more surgeries will be possible.
“The current task at hand is continuing to bring greater awareness to this opportunity for breast cancer patients,” Dancey said, which she believes has already been progressed well through the tireless efforts from the Cayman Islands Breast Cancer Foundation.
“They have done especially well in working to make patients aware of other procedures that will be required if they would like a DIEP Flap performed including the removal lymph nodes and offering their support,” she added in the statement.
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