Background and Objective

Studies on cancer and breast reconstruction based on data related to surgical techniques, complications and outcomes, help professionals to make the best therapeutic indication according to the characteristics and expectations of patients, with the least possible number of complications.

Our objective is the valuation of the data in the León Universitary Sanitary Complex wich is an institution integrated in the Spanish Public Health System.

Methods

Observational, descriptive and retrospective study of 254 patients having oncological surgery and breast reconstruction in the period 2005-2012 in the León Universitary Complex. Study of 30 variables related to the patient, tumor, reconstruction and corresponding follow-up. Statistical analysis of qualitative and quantitative variables, and application of Kaplan-Meier methodology and Survival Curves methodology.

Results

Our data show that in patients having a reconstruction due to breast cancer, the usual oncological treatment is modified radical mastectomy combined with chemotherapy (71%) and with radiotherapy treatment (45%). The usual reconstruction is deferred with the expansion-implant technique and, in case of radiotherapy, using the latissimus dorsi muscle flap. The most frequent complications are: capsular contracture, back seroma and fat necrosis. There are 40% re-interventions due to complications and 18.5% failures of the technique with a new reconstruction.

Conclusions

The analysis of the data related to breast reconstruction allows evaluating the outcomes and complications as well as the evolution of the activity over the years in the León Universitary Sanitary Complex. These results, sometimes suboptimal, have triggered the introduction of changes in the protocols used to assign a treatment technique to a patient, the abandonment of exclusive techniques with implants in patients having received radiotherapy, and the introduction of microsurgical and lipograft techniques.

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