Monthly plastic surgery bulletin — October 16, 2026

Period covered: September 16 to October 16, 2026. First issue for this specialty. This selection includes 3 items with a confirmed date and source. We left out press releases whose original study we could not identify and work published outside the period. This issue's search identified no verifiable items from the period in hand and peripheral nerve surgery, burns, craniofacial surgery, lymphedema, or facial aesthetics and injectables, nor from Asia, the Middle East or Latin America; that reflects our search, not an absence of work in those areas.

Breast reconstruction

1. RT CHARM: 3-week vs 5-week postmastectomy radiation in patients with reconstruction

[Clinical trial] [United States and Canada]
Phase 3 randomized noninferiority trial (Alliance A221505, NCT03414970). Its results were presented at ASTRO 2024; what is new in this period is the full publication, online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology on October 12, 2026. It enrolled 898 women with unilateral breast cancer, mastectomy and an indication for chest wall and regional nodal radiation, with planned immediate or delayed reconstruction. It compared 42.56 Gy in 16 fractions over about 3 weeks (hypofractionated) with 50 Gy in 25 fractions over 5 weeks (conventional). Primary endpoint: reconstruction complications at 24 months (wound-healing problems, readmission, capsular contracture, unplanned surgery or loss of the reconstruction). Among the 825 evaluable patients, complications occurred in 12.3% with the short schedule (52/422) and 10.2% with the conventional one (41/403). The numerical difference of 2.1 percentage points, compatible with the study's uncertainty, fell within the prespecified noninferiority margin of 10 percentage points. Three-year locoregional recurrence was 1.5% vs 2.2%, not significantly different (median follow-up 3.9 years). Implant-only reconstruction had more complications than autologous reconstruction with either schedule.
Why it matters: this is a noninferiority result: it does not show superiority, nor does it rule out a risk difference smaller than the 10-point margin. Capsular contracture was assessed within the 24-month endpoint, but follow-up remains limited for later events and for long-term oncologic control. Cutting treatment from 5 to 3 weeks reduces travel and the load on radiotherapy units, which matters where access is limited, as in the Dominican Republic.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42863096/
https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO-26-00474
https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03414970

2. Proposed new breast implant patient decision checklist, open for public comment

[FDA regulatory: proposal under consultation] [United States]
On September 29, 2026, the Breast Surgery Collaborative Community (BSCC), a collaborative community of societies and other stakeholders, submitted to the FDA public docket a revised version of the "Breast Implant Patient Decision Checklist", the document reviewed with patients before they receive breast implants, which complements, and does not replace, informed consent. The proposal aims for a shorter, clearer checklist that supports shared decision-making. Comments are accepted until December 1, 2026 (docket FDA-2019-D-4467). This is not an FDA-approved update: the current checklist remains in force.
Why it matters: if the FDA adopts it, the document that accompanies breast implant decisions in the United States will change. For now nothing changes in practice; it is worth reading the proposed text and, if appropriate, commenting before the deadline.
https://www.plasticsurgery.org/news/press-releases/breast-surgery-collaborative-community-invites-public-comment-on-updated-fda-patient-decision-checklist
https://www.regulations.gov/comment/FDA-2019-D-4467-1386
https://www.plasticsurgery.org/for-medical-professionals/publications/psn-extra/news/breast-implant-checklist-requirement-what-you-need-to-know

Meetings

3. Plastic Surgery The Meeting 2026 (ASPS), under way

[Congress] [United States (Houston)]
The annual meeting of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons runs October 15–18, 2026, in Houston. It began the day before this issue closed, so we do not yet report data presented there.
Why it matters: it is the annual meeting of the specialty's US society. We will review in the next issue what is published with verifiable data.
https://www.plasticsurgery.org/corporate-opportunities/corporate-support-and-exhibits
https://www.plasticsurgerythemeeting.com/

Upcoming meetings and dates

• October 27, 2026: residents' symposium of the ISAPS World Congress, Cancún (Mexico).
• October 28–31, 2026: main program of the ISAPS World Congress, Cancún (Mexico). https://www.isaps.org/events/isaps-congress/isaps-world-congress-2026-cancun/
• December 1, 2026: public comment on the breast implant checklist closes (see item 2).
• Other dates, with their sources, are in the plastic surgery "What's next" section.

*Plastic Surgery Bulletin — October 2026*
Greetings, colleagues. First issue: this selection includes 3 items.

🩺 Breast reconstruction
*RT CHARM (JCO, Oct 12)*
3-week postmastectomy radiation was noninferior to 5 weeks for reconstruction complications: 12.3% vs 10.2%; a 2.1-point difference, within the 10-point noninferiority margin.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42863096/

*Breast implant checklist: PROPOSAL under consultation*
A shorter new version submitted to the FDA; comments until December 1. It is not approved.
https://www.regulations.gov/comment/FDA-2019-D-4467-1386

📅 Meetings
*Plastic Surgery The Meeting 2026*, Houston, October 15–18 (under way).
*ISAPS World Congress*, Cancún, October 28–31 (residents, October 27).

Full bulletin and audio: https://boletinesmedicos.com/en/plastic-surgery/2026-10-16.html
MedBulletins · boletinesmedicos.com/en

Monthly plastic surgery bulletin — October 16, 2026 (first issue)

This selection includes 3 items, including a phase 3 trial published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Worth your time:
• RT CHARM: in women with reconstruction after mastectomy, 3-week radiation was noninferior to 5-week radiation for 24-month complications (12.3% vs 10.2%; 10-point noninferiority margin). That is noninferiority, not superiority, and follow-up for late events is still limited.
• A revision of the breast implant patient decision checklist is open for public comment at the FDA until December 1. It is not approved.
• Agenda: Plastic Surgery The Meeting 2026 in Houston (October 15–18) and the ISAPS World Congress in Cancún (October 28–31).

Full bulletin, with a critical reading of each study and links to its sources:
https://boletinesmedicos.com/en/plastic-surgery/2026-10-16.html

#PlasticSurgery #BreastReconstruction #RadiationOncology #BreastImplants

RT CHARM: 3-week postmastectomy radiation noninferior to 5 weeks for reconstruction complications (12.3% vs 10.2%). Breast implant checklist: proposal open for comment until Dec 1. https://boletinesmedicos.com/en/plastic-surgery/2026-10-16.html