Correlation of Specimen/Breast Volume Ratio to Cosmetic Outcome After Breast Conserving Surgery

Breast conserving surgery (BCS) is currently the standard of care for early breast cancer. One of the key determinants for the line of treatment in breast cancer is the size of the tumor in relation to the breast size. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of the ratio of the excised specimen to breast volume on the cosmetic outcome after conventional BCS. This is a retrospective study conducted on female patients with early stage breast cancer who underwent BCT at National Cancer Institute, Cairo University. The study included 41 patients with stage I and II breast cancer. Breast volume was calculated using mammography, and ratio of the specimen to breast volume was determined. This ratio was correlated with the cosmetic outcome using the BCCT.core software. Thirty-six out of the 41 breast cancer patients completed the study. Favorable outcome (excellent + good) was detected in 52.7% of patients, while 47.3% had unfavorable outcome (fair + poor). Breast volume, tumor site, patients' age, and weight did not seem to alter the cosmetic result. The only statistically significant factors affecting the cosmetic outcome were the specimen volume and the ratio of the specimen to the normal breast volume (p = 0.006 and 0.019 respectively). In order to obtain a satisfactory cosmetic outcome after conventional BCS, the ratio of the excised specimen to breast volume has to be seriously considered.