Breast Conserving Surgery: An Overview at a Tertiary Cancer Centre

Background Breast-conserving surgery with radiation therapy is the standard approach for early breast cancer. It provides much better cosmetic effects as well as the same level of overall survival as compared to a mastectomy. Despite strong global evidence supporting breast-conserving surgery, it is less preferred in Nepal, and its outcome in the Nepali context is poorly documented. Objective To assess the oncological outcomes of breast-conserving surgery at a tertiary cancer centre in Nepal. Method This hospital-based retrospective cohort study was done in Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital, Nepal, from 2012 to 2018. All the breast cancer patients who underwent breast-conserving surgery were included in the study and were followed up for at least 5 years postoperatively till 2024 with clinical examination and radiological investigations. The statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 22. The measurement data with a normal distribution were expressed as the mean ± standard deviation. Result The study included 100 patients, with a median age of 43 years (range 25-73 years), and a mean tumor size of 26.34 ± 8.6 mm. The mean hospital stay was 3.9 ± 1.08 days, and 94% patients had no complications. Histologically, invasive carcinoma of no special type was the most common. Five-year disease-free survival and five-year overall survival rate were 96% and 97% respectively. Conclusion Our study concluded that Breast Conserving Surgery has a shorter hospital stay, fewer complications, and good oncological outcomes, so it is a simple and feasible technique for patients with early breast cancer.