Breast conserving surgery using volume replacement with oxidized regenerated cellulose: a cosmetic outcome analysis

We evaluated the cosmetic outcome of volume replacement with oxidized regenerated cellulose (ORC) after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) and also examined factors that may have influenced the results. Ninety-four patients who underwent BCS with ORC replacement between January 2010 and August 2012 participated in this study. The cosmetic outcomes of these patients were evaluated using scores based on the criteria of the Japan Breast Cancer Society. We evaluated cosmetic scores with regards to several clinical factors and the occurrence of complications after this procedure. The mean score of the cosmetic outcome of all patients was 9.5 points of 12 points. Thirty-seven patients were categorized as “Excellent,” 34 were “Good,” 22 were “Fair,” and 1 was “Poor.” Patient age, body mass index, weight of the specimen, and ORC amount were not significantly different between patients with favorable cosmetic scores and those without. However, the weight of the removed specimen was slightly higher in patients with an unfavorable cosmetic score. Although acute dermatitis and eczema was observed in 15% and 3% of patients, all of them were improved with conservative treatment. Cosmetic scores were significantly higher in patients without complications than in patients with complications. In conclusion, ORC replacement after BCS is a simple and reliable procedure. The selection of indication and prevention of complications are important for obtaining a better cosmetic outcome. This is the first report to cosmetically evaluate a relatively large number of patients that have undergone ORC replacement after BCS.