Outcomes of reconstructive techniques in breast cancer using BCCT. core software

Abstract

BackgroundSurgery remains a priority for breast cancer treatment. This study aimed to compare the cosmetic outcomes of oncoplastic patients who had undergone breast-conserving surgery, mini-LDF (latissimus dorsi flap), and immediate implant reconstruction using both the Japanese scale and the BCCT.core (The Breast Cancer Conservative Treatment cosmetic results software) program and to validate this program.Patients and methodsPatients who underwent surgery for breast cancer between 1997 and 2021 were retrospectively studied. Patients were divided into three groups: 1-those who had undergone breast-conserving surgery (245 patients, 71.3%), 2-those who had undergone mini-LDF after lumpectomy (38 patients, 11.02%), and 3- those who underwent reconstruction with implants after nipple-sparing mastectomy (61 patients, 17.68%). The patients were called for a follow-up examination, and their photos were taken. The photographs were shown to an independent breast surgeon and a plastic surgeon who was not included in the surgeries, and they were asked to evaluate and rate them according to the Japanese cosmetic evaluation scale. The same images were transferred to the computer and scored using BCCT.core.ResultsThe plastic and breast surgeon evaluation results showed no significant difference between the three cosmetic techniques (p = 0.99, 0.98).The results of BCCT.core software measurements were similar to the results of plastic and breast surgeons (p: 0.43).ConclusionPatients are more knowledgeable about cosmetic outcomes and expect more objective data. In this study, we used 3 different cosmetic evaluation scales. We found that these techniques give results that are compatible with each other in terms of evaluating the work done in a more concrete way. For this reason, we recommend the use of such software, which offers objective results in a subjective field such as aesthetics and is very easy to apply.