Subcutaneous mastectomy with axillary dissection plus breast reconstruction using latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap (or latissimus dorsi muscle) for breast cancer.

Subcutaneous mastectomy with axillary dissection plus breast reconstruction using latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap (or latissimus dorsi muscle) was carried out for 8 patients with breast cancer. These consisted of 1 patient with non-invasive ductal carcinoma, 5 with stage I (4 invasive ductal carcinomas and 1 invasive lobular carcinoma) and 2 with stage II (1 invasive ductal carcinoma and 1 invasive lobular carcinoma). Cancer cells were recognized histopathologically in the resection margins of the small mammary gland resting under the nipple in only 1 case, and the remaining 7 cases underwent a curative resection. In the prognosis, 7 patients were disease-free and 1 showed a local recurrence. The patient with local recurrence showed no metastasis after the resection of the local lesion. The cosmetic results of this operation were excellent in all patients. This operation was effective both for these patients with breast cancer who did not want to undergo breast conserving surgery or modified radical mastectomy and for those who were excluded from the criteria of breast conserving surgery from the prognostic and cosmetic points of view.