Reducing reoperation rates after breast-conserving surgery

Breast-conserving surgery (also variously called lumpectomy, partial mastectomy, wide local excision, segmentectomy, or quadrantectomy) is the preferred choice for local treatment of primary breast cancer, 1 Jatoi I Options in breast cancer local therapy: who gets what?. World J Surg. 2012; 36: 1498-1502 Crossref PubMed Scopus (16) Google Scholar and most women are suitable candidates. However, except for elderly patients or those who have tumours with favourable features, most need postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy to further reduce their risk of local recurrence. Intraoperative ultrasound guidance for palpable breast cancer excision (COBALT trial): a multicentre, randomised controlled trialCompared with palpation-guided surgery, ultrasound-guided surgery can significantly lower the proportion of tumour-involved resection margins, thus reducing the need for re-excision, mastectomy, and radiotherapy boost. By achieving optimum resection volumes, ultrasound-guided surgery reduces unnecessary resection of healthy breast tissue and could contribute to improved cosmetic results and quality of life. Full-Text PDF