Jamaica Plain Hospital Holds Clinical Trial for Breast Cancer Recovery

Jamaica Plain, MA – A new device that offers patients who have undergone mastectomies an alternative to the traditional method of tissue expansion is in the midst of clinical trials at Faulkner Hospital.

Aeroform, created by the medical device company AirXpanders, uses controlled delivery of carbon dioxide in lieu of the traditional saline injections. Patients administer the injections by pushing a button on a remote control. 

Dr. Yoon Chun, a plastic surgeon at Faulkner Hospital, said the Aeroform makes recovery more convenient for patients, as they no longer have to see a doctor regularly to receive injections. 

"It's a bit of an inconvenience, flying or driving from out of state," Chun said. "They can expand at home without having to come to the office."

Chun said because they are in control with the device, the recovery process is easier on the patients.

"Because it's gradual, the patient feels a little more comfortable," Chun said. "The process runs a little smoother."

According to Chun, tissue expansion is the most prevalent method of breast reconstruction following a mastectomy; she estimated about 80 percent of her patients opt for it while recovering.

The Aeroform is currently in the second phase of clinical trials and has not been approved by the FDA; during the first phase, patients were randomly enrolled in a control group that used the traditional saline injections or a group using the Aeroform. 

Christine Hunt was one of Chun's patients who participated in the initial phase of the trial; she began using the Aeroform after her surgery in September of 2014.

Hunt said she was able to use the expander at her preferred pace, and though she had to visit Chun frequently for the purposes of the trial, she could use the device when she was traveling.

Though Hunt never underwent traditional saline injections, she said several of the women she spoke to who did told her they wished they had known there was an alternative.

"Nobody ever wants to know that they have cancer. It’s never pleasant to go through," Hunt said. "But it's a benefit to women that they’re coming up with things to make the experience less awful." 

In addition to Faulkner, the trials are ongoing at seven other medical centers in five states across the country. 

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