Outcomes of reconstructive techniques in breast cancer using BCCT. core software

Area of Science:

• Oncoplastic surgery
• Breast cancer reconstruction
• Cosmetic outcome assessment

Background:

• Surgery is a primary treatment for breast cancer.
• Evaluating cosmetic outcomes is crucial for patient satisfaction.
• Oncoplastic techniques aim to improve aesthetic results post-mastectomy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare cosmetic outcomes of three breast cancer surgery techniques: breast-conserving surgery, mini-latissimus dorsi flap (mini-LDF), and immediate implant reconstruction.
• To validate the BCCT.core software for cosmetic outcome assessment in oncoplastic surgery.
• To assess the compatibility of subjective (surgeon evaluation) and objective (BCCT.core) cosmetic assessments.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study of 245 breast-conserving surgery, 38 mini-LDF, and 61 implant reconstruction patients (1997-2021).
• Independent surgeons evaluated patient photographs using the Japanese cosmetic evaluation scale.
• BCCT.core software was used to objectively score the same patient photographs.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in cosmetic outcomes was found between the three surgical techniques based on surgeon evaluations (p=0.99, 0.98).
• BCCT.core software results correlated with surgeon evaluations (p=0.43).
• The study demonstrated concordance between subjective and objective cosmetic assessments.

Conclusions:

• All evaluated oncoplastic techniques yield comparable cosmetic results.
• The BCCT.core software provides objective and reliable aesthetic evaluation, compatible with expert subjective assessment.
• The study recommends using objective software tools for evaluating cosmetic outcomes in breast cancer surgery.