Time to Radiation after Oncoplastic Reduction versus After Lumpectomy

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Surgical Oncology
• Breast Cancer Treatment

Background:

• Prior studies confirm oncoplastic reduction (OCR) surgery offers similar survival and oncological outcomes to traditional lumpectomy.
• Evaluating the impact of OCR on the timing of adjuvant radiation therapy is crucial for comprehensive breast cancer care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if oncoplastic reduction (OCR) surgery leads to a significant difference in the time to initiation of radiation therapy compared to standard lumpectomy.
• To compare complication rates between OCR and lumpectomy in breast cancer patients.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of breast cancer patients undergoing adjuvant radiation after OCR or lumpectomy (2003-2020).
• Exclusion of patients with non-surgical radiation delays.
• Comparison of time to radiation and complication rates between the two surgical groups.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in the time to radiation initiation between OCR (60.5 days) and lumpectomy (56.2 days) groups (P = 0.059).
• OCR group had significantly higher complication rates (20.4%) compared to lumpectomy (2.2%) (P < 0.001).
• Among patients with complications, there was no significant difference in radiation timing between OCR (74.3 days) and lumpectomy (69.3 days) (P = 0.732).

Conclusions:

• Oncoplastic reduction surgery is not associated with increased time to radiation therapy initiation compared to lumpectomy.
• OCR is linked to a higher incidence of complications, but these do not independently predict delays in radiation.
• Surgeons can be reassured that higher complication rates with OCR do not necessarily translate to postponed radiation therapy.