What do breast surgeons do?

There are an increasing number of fellowship-trained breast surgeons and surgical oncologists who dedicate their clinical practice exclusively to breast disease. However, there are little published data regarding characteristics of a breast surgical practice.

All patient visits at a university-based breast surgery practice were reviewed for calendar years 2006 and 2007.

There were 10,381 patient visits, of which 2,334 (22%) represented new patients. Of these, 11% were referred with a diagnosis of cancer. Out of the remainder, 29% had a needle biopsy (8% by the surgeon and 21% by radiology), 29% underwent surgery, and 13% were ultimately diagnosed with cancer. After completion of initial therapy, 6 months or 1 year follow-up was recommended for 59% of the patients.

The specialty of breast surgery is unique in its nonoperative volume and extensive duration of follow-up. Strategies need to be designed to make this process more time-efficient for the surgeon.