ContourMed Scanning Technology: A New Option for Post-Mastectomy Patients
By Mimi San Pedro  Breast cancer survivors face countless challenges
through the course of treatment for their disease. One of those,
which has consequences that are more emotional than physical, is
the selection of a breast prosthesis following a mastectomy.
Post-mastectomy patients want a breast form with the look, fit, and
comfort of a natural breast.
Following a decade of research and testing, ContourMed®, a
medical technology company in Little Rock, Arkansas, began in July
2001, producing a custom-made prosthesis that is more lifelike and
lighter weight than other breast forms available.
L. Daniel Eaton, a board-certified ocularist with the University
of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), Little Rock, specializes
in creating lifelike facial prostheses for individuals who cannot
benefit from reconstructive surgery. He invented the technology for
ContourMed's custom-fitted, lightweight breast prostheses after
working with a facial restoration patient who also was a breast
cancer survivor. Eaton's patient asked why the technology used in
facial prosthetics couldn't also be used to make more lifelike
breast prostheses. She explained that the breast forms available at
the time were heavy, hot, and uncomfortable.
"Our initial research started with cancer survivors and is
really what makes ContourMed unique," Eaton said. "The company
continues to listen to these women for further product
development."
Scanning Technology
The anatomically accurate breast prostheses are created using
ContourMed's patented technology, which was developed at the
Arkansas Cancer Research Center at UAMS.
 Technicians obtain a CAD-based, 3-D laser scan of
the patient's intact breast, as well as the chest wall, to create
each custom-fitted prosthesis.
The scanning technology captures the exact shape, slope, and
contour of the patient's chest anatomy. Because women are
custom-fitted, the back of the prosthesis is crafted to reflect
every unique detail of the chest wall, and women are able to wear
their bra of choice.
Benefits O&P Facility
"We recently started offering a wide range of mastectomy
products and accessories in our Mastectomy Division, but we were
missing one component: a custom, lightweight breast form," said
Rick Fleetwood, general manager, Snell Prosthetic and Orthotic
Laboratory, Little Rock. "With the ContourMed product, we are able
to offer breast cancer survivors the most advanced prosthetic
technology available."
According to Fleetwood, many O&P providers had shied away
from offering custom breast prostheses in the past, due to the
traditional time-consuming plaster-casting technique.
"With plaster casting, the drain on manpower, time, and
resources makes it difficult to see a sound ROI [Return on
Investment]," said Fleetwood. "With Contour-Med's technological
capabilities, you can scan ten times as many customers in the time
it takes to do just one with the old-fashioned casting method--now
with even greater accuracy."
Technology Earns Design Award
Survivor input also led to the development of the ContourMed
Advantage technology, which uses a combination of magnets and
adhesives to give survivors a natural and secure breast form that
attaches directly to the chest wall. ContourMed Advantage magnets
are nickel-plated for safe, direct skin contact, and the adhesive
discs use 3M" hypoallergenic adhesive tape. The ContourMed
Advantage was awarded a 2003 Medical Design Excellence Award, the
global awards program devoted to recognizing contributions and
advancements in medical devices.
"Heavier products that require a special bra can be very
uncomfortable for women with scar tissue on their chest wall. It's
almost like wearing a pair of shoes that are too tight," said
Larita Irvin, a breast cancer survivor and retired mail carrier
from Texas. "I can wear the ContourMed Advantage all day in
complete comfort."
Irvin says, in addition to the comfort, she likes the confidence
of wearing this prosthesis. "Everyone likes to look nice. I'm very
confident when I wear the ContourMed prosthesis. It doesn't
separate from your body when you lean forward like many other
products do."
Business Success
Most private insurance companies cover 80 to 100 percent of the
suggested retail price of $3,000 to $3,600. For women with private
insurance, the average out-of-pocket expense is around $300.
"Offering the ContourMed custom product has been the best thing
that has happened to me as a storeowner," said Krista Clark of
Essential Accents, Nashville, Tennessee. "First, there is no
inventory cost. And because the profit margin is considerably more
than the others, I had the most profitable month in the history of
my business following my last scanning event with ContourMed."
Clark says the appeal of offering a custom product helped pull a
considerable number of customers from areas outside her immediate
service area. "I had women who live an hour and half away come in
to be scanned," she added.
Options
Each prosthesis is made in the United States and handcrafted by
ContourMed technicians. ContourMed researchers have developed 16
skin tone options and various nipple designs to help women return
to their natural look.
For more information about ContourMed, call 888.301.0520 or
visit www.contourmed.com
Mimi San Pedro is president of ContourMed. A four-year
breast cancer survivor, San Pedro left behind an 18-year career as
an advertising industry executive to make a fresh start in a career
that is both challenging and personally rewarding. The national
Susan G. Komen Foundation, SELF magazine, and Yoplait recently
selected her as one of the "Yoplait 25 Champions." 
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