Cells from surrounding tissue congregate on the scaffold which eventually disintegrates. Cronin and his team, who are planning to patent the technique, said they have overcome the problem of providing a blood supply to the tissue by using a so-called vascular loop in the chamber that generates new blood vessels for the growing tissue. Researchers said the technique has potential but it could pose problems for women who have had breast cancer because there would be no guarantee that the new tissue would not contain the mechanism that caused the cancer. Cronin admits that much more research needs to be done to perfect the technique but he believes it will have future applications in breast and facial surgery. If the technique proves successful it could relieve the worries about silicone and other types of implants which are used in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery.
Breast surgery is one of the most popular types of cosmetic surgery.
Many breast cancer patients also choose to have an implant after a mastectomy.