Reliability of Different Surgical Oncoplastic Techniques in the Management of Breast Cancer

Abstract

Ahmed T. Awad, Ahmed Abdellatif, Mohamed M. Elmessiry, Haytham M. Fayed, Mahmoud A. Elhosseini

Breast conservative surgery (BCS) followed by radiotherapy has become the standard treatment of breast carcinoma. The cosmetic defects after breast conservation and radiotherapy are technically challenging and the outcome of their correction is disappointing. Oncoplastic surgical procedures evolved with the concept of applying plastic reconstructive techniques to reshape the breast after conservative resection. Thus, breast deformity will be prevented. This work aimed at studying the feasibility of applying different oncoplastic surgical procedures in the treatment of operable breast cancer located in different breast quadrants. Between July 2009 and February 2011, 72 female patients with operable breast cancer were selected to undergo different types of oncoplastic procedures according to the location of the tumor and breast size, with a follow-up period ranging between 32 and 51 months. The application of oncoplastic procedures in different quadrants was associated with an acceptable cosmetic outcome (variable between excellent & good) in 81.9% of the studied patients. The complication rate was 16.7%. During the period of follow-up the incidence of local and systemic failure was 2.8 % and 6.6 %, respectively. As they allow wider excision volumes and better margins without cosmetic penalties, we can conclude that oncoplastic techniques are a valuable option in the armamentarium of a devoted breast surgeon aiming at conserving the breast and maintaining the female’s body image