Gender
Female
Age Group
18 Years and up
Accepting Healthy Volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria:
* 18 years of age or older
* Scheduled for bilateral mastectomy with two-stage (tissue expander) reconstruction at UCM
* Bilateral mastectomy for unilateral in situ or T1 (<2 cm), N0 (no lymph node involvement) breast cancer or breast cancer risk reduction due to known elevated breast cancer risk. (Note - 19-34% of women choosing mastectomy for small unilateral breast cancer elect bilateral mastectomy.)40 We will enroll from this cohort.
* Agrees to have breast tissue expander removed within 12-20 weeks of implantation.
* Has access to a cell phone and willing to provide the research interviewer with the cell phone number
* Agrees to receive text messages from the study
* Able to speak and understand English or Spanish
* Able to participate in the informed consent process
Exclusion criteria:
* Requires breast radiation
* Single stage mastectomy and reconstruction procedure
* Clinical evidence of bilateral breast cancer
* Clinical evidence of lymph node involvement
* Prior history of mastectomy or other major breast surgery
* Prior history of radiation to the chest area (e.g., mantle radiation for Hodgkin's disease)
* Prior history of injury (e.g., trauma, surgery, burn) that the participant perceives to have had an effect on the sensation of the breast
* Pregnant or intending to become pregnant during the study period
* Pacemaker, defibrillator or other implanted electrical stimulation device that may be affected by the implanted electrodes
* Complex regional pain syndrome or other pain syndromes or a history of a neurologic condition like multiple sclerosis, degenerative neurological disease, cognitive impairment or dementia
* Uncontrolled diabetes
* History of poor wound healing or chronic skin ulcerations
* History of uncontrolled infection or active infection at time of consent
* Expectation that MRI will be required while the devices are implanted
* Inability or unwillingness to follow verbal instructions and comply with study procedures
* Untreated or poorly managed physical or mental health condition that may pose additional risk according to clinical judgment of the patient's breast surgeon or surgeons
* Unwillingness to undergo psychological evaluation to determine study eligibility, if requested or required by surgeons or investigators