Skin-sparing mastectomy and immediate reconstruction is an acceptable treatment option for patients with high-risk breast carcinoma.

BACKGROUND

Skin-sparing mastectomy (SSM) followed by immediate reconstruction is an effective treatment option for patients with early-stage breast carcinoma, but its use in patients with more advanced disease is controversial.

METHODS

A retrospective review was performed that included 38 consecutive patients with high-risk breast carcinoma who underwent SSM and immediate reconstruction (between July 1996 and January 2002). Tumor characteristics, type of reconstruction, margin status, timing of adjuvant therapy, postoperative complications, and incidence of recurrence were evaluated.

RESULTS

High-risk patients (Stage IIA [n=4 patients] Stage IIB [n=23 patients] Stage IIIA [n=8 patients] and Stage IIIB [n=3 patients]) underwent immediate reconstruction after SSM with the use of a transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap (n=31 patients), a latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap plus an implant (n=3 patients), or tissue expanders with subsequent implant placement (n=4 patients). The median follow-up was 52.9 months (range, 27.5-92.0 months), and the median time to recurrence has not yet been reached at the time of last follow-up. The median interval from surgery to the initiation of postoperative adjuvant therapy was 38 days (range, 25-238 days). Local recurrence was seen in 1 patient (2.6%), systemic recurrence in was seen in 10 patients (26.3%), and both local and distant metastases in were seen in 2 other patients (5.3%).

CONCLUSIONS

SSM with immediate reconstruction appeared to be an oncologically safe treatment option for high-risk patients with advanced stages of breast carcinoma. In addition to the aesthetic and psychological benefits of performing SSM with immediate reconstruction, local recurrence rates and disease-free survival were favorable when combined with the use of radiation therapy and adjuvant chemotherapy, as indicated.