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Development of 3D-printed bespoke breast prosthesis for post-mastectomy patients, using a user-centred design and patient involvement approach
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Date
2026-02
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer in women across the world and surgical resection of the breast by way of mastectomy is the most common method used to remove the cancer. Many patients are either not suitable for or choose not to undergo breast reconstruction surgery. Breast prostheses are commonly worn post-mastectomy to restore body symmetry and femineity. These are typically triangular-shaped silicone forms of a breast silhouette, which are selected based on the women’s bra size and worn in a mastectomy bra. However, there are many issues with generic silicone breast prostheses, especially for moderate to large breast sizes. A prosthesis can be uncomfortable to wear as they are heavy, which causes strain on the woman’s shoulder and chest, and sagging of the bra. The generic triangular shape does not provide perfect symmetry with the residual breast. While there have been some advances with creating custom breast prostheses, specific user-centred design challenges remain.
This thesis presents a series of studies on the development and evaluation of custom-made breast prostheses using 3D-printing technology. The research is grounded on a user-centred design approach. First a case report is presented, which was conducted with a patient who encountered significant comfort issues with her prosthesis. A custom 3D-printed prosthesis was created by 3D scanning the patient with her residual breast in a bra, along with the mastectomy site. These scans were combined using 3D modelling and a prosthesis was 3D-printed in a flexible material. The prosthesis was 62% lighter than the previous silicone prosthesis, and improved comfort and fit, providing a proof of concept for this approach. The research progressed to studying the experiences of mastectomy patients using silicone prostheses, the impact of their current breast prosthesis on their body image, and their satisfaction with their current breast prosthesis. Arising from this, design preferences for a bespoke breast prosthesis were detailed. In this research, common issues identified included prosthesis weight, unwanted movement, and lack of symmetry. The design requirements for a bespoke breast prosthesis were established. To address these issues, the use of flexible 3D printed materials with varying geometric internal structures were investigated. A study of mastectomy patients was undertaken to study preferences for softness/compressibility of different 3D printed designs. Results demonstrated the potential for creating customised prostheses with tailored softness comparable to or preferred over silicone prostheses.
A workflow was developed to design and fabricate custom breast prosthesis using 3D scanning, modelling, and 3D printing. This process was refined through three iterations which incorporated patient feedback to improve fit, comfort, and aesthetics. A patient study was performed across the technical development phases of the research using the iterative design approach. Ten mastectomy patients formed an expert user panel, providing feedback on each iteration of the design. This process resulted in significant improvements across various design requirements, including a 64% reduction in weight (compared to a comparable silicone prosthesis) and increased comfort ratings. The research demonstrates the potential of 3D printing and user-centred design to create breast prostheses that better meet individual patient needs compared to standard options.
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Peer-reviewed
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University of Limerick
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Sustainable Development Goals
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Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International