Contemporary Trends in Application and Match Rates of Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship Programs, 2018-2025

The Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) and the American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS) are the primary governing bodies responsible for accrediting breast surgical oncology (BSO) fellowship training programs and facilitating the BSO match. The objective of this study was to determine trends in match rates for programs and applicants, assess changes over time, and identify factors contributing to a successful match.

The SSO BSO match database was queried from 2018 to 2025, and a retrospective review was performed. Applicant-related and program-related data were analyzed. Chi-squared and linear regression analyses were used to determine temporal trends and match rates by characteristic.

During the study period, the number of accredited programs increased from 49 to 65 (33% increase), and the number of fellowship positions increased from 73 to 92 (26% increase). The number of unmatched positions decreased to 0 in 2023 (p < 0.001). The overall match rate for the study period was 74%. The likelihood of matching increased annually from 2018 to 2021 but significantly decreased from 2022 to 2025 (p = 0.0025). Graduates of US medical schools were eight times more likely to match than international applicants (p < 0.001). Graduates from allopathic medical schools were 3.6 times more likely to match than applicants from nonallopathic medical schools (p < 0.001).

The BSO fellowship match rates have decreased in recent years owing to an increase in applicants, despite additional programs and open positions. This trend suggests increased interest among applicants in BSO careers and in the value of dedicated training in breast disease.