Long-term oncological results after 400 skin-sparing mastectomies

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Breast Surgery
• Plastic Surgery

Background:

• Skin-sparing mastectomy (SSM) offers superior cosmetic outcomes in immediate breast reconstruction.
• Concerns exist regarding oncologic safety due to limited skin excision in SSM, particularly for invasive breast cancer.
• Surgeons express reservations about the oncologic safety of SSM.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the oncologic safety and long-term outcomes of skin-sparing mastectomy (SSM) with immediate breast reconstruction.
• To address concerns about local recurrence risk associated with limited skin excision in SSM.
• To assess the reliability of SSM for selected breast cancer patients.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective, long-term follow-up study of 400 patients.
• Patients underwent SSM with immediate breast reconstruction between January 1, 1992, and December 31, 2002.
• Data included American Joint Committee on Cancer pathological staging.

Main Results:

• Mean follow-up of 88 months (range: 13-215 months).
• Locoregional recurrence rate was 3.5%.
• Rate of distant metastases was 13.5%; 83% of patients remained disease-free.

Conclusions:

• Skin-sparing mastectomy (SSM) demonstrates encouraging results for selected invasive or in situ breast cancer cases.
• SSM is a safe and reliable option for breast cancer management when performed by experienced oncoplastic surgeons.
• The study supports the oncologic safety of SSM, challenging previous reservations.