A comparative study between round block technique and standard wide local excision in patients with breast cancer

Abstract

Background The purpose of optimizing the cosmetic and oncological results of breast conservative surgery (BCS) has been addressed in recent years by the advent of the field of oncoplastic surgery, originally defined as an assortment of volume replacement techniques. Recently, the concept of oncoplastic surgery has been expanded to include a wide range of volume-displacement or volume-transfer procedures performed by breast surgeons and general surgeons to improve breast shape and breast volume during breast cancer operations. Aim The aim was to assess the round block technique regarding oncological safety, surgical outcomes, and patients’ satisfaction and to compare the results with standard wide local excision. Patients and methods This is a prospective randomized trial to test the round block technique as an oncological procedure for the early management of breast cancer near the nipple–areola complex in terms of oncological safety, surgical outcomes, and patients’ satisfaction and to compare the results with standard wide local excision. A total of 20 patients with breast cancer were subdivided into group A, which comprised 10 female patients who underwent round block technique, and group B, which comprised 10 female patients who underwent standard wide local excision. Patient and tumor criteria, including age, comorbidities, tumor size, and distance between tumor and nipple-areola complex, were considered to be nonsignificant between the two groups, so the only difference is the surgical technique. Results The round block technique and standard wide local excision (SWLE) have the same results regarding operating time, intraoperative blood loss, and postoperative complications, with radiation of breast therapy (RBT) being advantageous because of its better cosmetic outcomes and lower re-excision rates. Conclusion Despite no evidence of increased surgical complications, the round block procedure has equivalent operating parameters to SWLE. In round block, patients were found with lower re-excision rates and better cosmoses, as a scarless procedure, without nipple and areola shift, which indicates that the round block technique is superior to selected SWLE.