[Immediate Breast Reconstruction Does Not Increase Early Complications Compared to Simple Mastectomy: A Retrospective Comparative Study]

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Plastic Surgery
• Surgical Outcomes

Background:

• Mastectomy with immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) is an option for breast cancer patients unsuitable for breast-conserving surgery.
• Recent French guidelines expanded IBR indications, limiting contraindications to inflammatory breast cancer.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare early postoperative complications between simple mastectomy (SM) and IBR.
• To evaluate the impact of expanded IBR indications on surgical outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective, single-center case-control study (January 2020 - July 2023).
• Inclusion of 96 patients in the SM group and 61 in the IBR group.
• Assessment of early postoperative complications (<3 months) using Clavien-Dindo classification.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in postoperative complications between SM (50%) and IBR (57%, p=0.37).
• Similar time to adjuvant therapies and 1-year recurrence rates between groups.
• No specific risk factors for complications identified in the IBR group.

Conclusions:

• Immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) does not elevate the risk of early postoperative complications compared to simple mastectomy (SM).
• Findings support the expanded use of IBR, irrespective of patient risk factors or treatments.