Early Postoperative Complications after Oncoplastic Reduction

BACKGROUND: Breast-conserving surgery with adjuvant radiation therapy (BCT) has been established as safe oncologically. Oncoplastic breast surgery uses both oncologic and plastic surgery techniques for breast conservation to improve cosmetic outcomes. We evaluated the risk factors associated with complications after oncoplastic breast reduction. METHODS: exact method; continuous variables were analyzed with the Wilcoxon rank sum test exact method. Bilateral versus unilateral oncoplastic breast reduction showed no statistically significant increase in complications. CONCLUSIONS: The overall complication rate after oncoplastic breast reduction was markedly higher than that in nationally published data for breast-conserving surgery. The complication rate resembled more closely the complication rate after bilateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. No risk factors were associated with major or overall complications. Age and pulmonary disease were associated with minor complications. Patients should be selected and counseled appropriately when considering oncoplastic breast reduction.