Current status of pre- or subpectoral breast reconstruction in Japan

Breast reconstruction using silicone breast implants (SBIs) has been performed for many patients in Japan under the initiative of the Japan Oncoplastic Breast Surgery Society (JOBSS) since SBIs were first covered by insurance in 2013. A change in the lineup of available SBIs owing to the Allergan crisis caused a decrease in the availability of SBIs appropriate to Japanese breast contours. Recently, the number of immediate implant-based breast reconstructions (IBRs) was approximately 4,000 in one year and was slightly decreasing. The SBI is generally placed under the pectoralis major muscle. Because the number of patients with one-stage, implant-based operative indications is small, an acellular dermal matrix is not available in Japan, and the complication rate in one-stage, IBR is high, most immediate, IBRs are performed in two stages. The prevalence of immediate, one-stage, IBRs is approximately 10%. Fat grafting by injection using Coleman's technique is performed in many hospitals under the JOBSS initiative as a surgery combined with SBI insertion. Complications after SBI placement may be less common in Japan than those in other countries. Japanese breast reconstructive surgeons undertake preventive measures to lessen these complications according to guidelines and experts' opinions, which may contribute to the low complication rate after SBI placement. The total reported number of patients with breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma is four, and no patients have died because of this disease. In Japan, procuring informed consent and diagnosing and treating this disease are performed according to the JOBSS guidelines.