Talking About Feeling: Axogen Raises Awareness for Mastectomy Side Effect
In the wake of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, UF startup and UF Innovate | Accelerate at Sid Martin Biotech graduate Axogen has expanded the scope of a campaign to raise awareness about a side effect of mastectomies.
Typically patients lose feeling following the procedure. This raises safety concerns, as a woman’s chest may cover 10% to 13% of the total surface area of her body. After surgery, individuals may no longer be able to feel, for example, the heat of an object that could cause burns.
For many women who have undergone mastectomies, the restoration of sensation — Axogen markets the Resensation surgical technique — is an essential part of recovery. It directly impacts their quality of life: The cascade of water rushing over their bodies or the warmth of a child’s embrace are sensations that many breast cancer survivors miss. The Resensation surgical procedure uses a nerve graft to connect the nerves in a patient’s chest with ones in the flap tissue that covers her implant.
The campaign has two primary goals: Educating breast cancer patients about the likelihood that sensation will be lost during and following a mastectomy, and introducing them to the Resensation procedure itself. Axogen is attempting to achieve these goals via the sharing of patient testimonials that incorporate perspectives from their surgeons.
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