New technique allows breast regrowth

A team of Melbourne scientists has developed a world-first surgical technique that may allow women who have undergone mastectomy to regrow their breasts.

Five women will undergo the experimental surgery at St Vincent's Hospital within weeks to test the procedure, the Herald Sun newspaper reports.

Scientists from the Bernard O'Brien Institute of Microsurgery will use the technique, known as Neopec, to implant a woman's own fat cells in an artificial, breast-shaped chamber in her chest.

The cells will quickly multiply and, if successful, are shaped in the chamber to replace the breast tissue the woman lost.

The surgery could replace breast reconstruction and the use of implants following mastectomy, the newspaper said.

Bernard O'Brien director Professor Wayne Morrison said Neopec was a big step forward but it might be 10 years before it could be used for cosmetic purposes.

Neopec has been trialled successfully in pigs, and might allow women to regrow breasts within months.

- AAP