Background: Although breast-conserving therapy (tumor excision, axillary node dissection, and postoperative radiation) for women with breast cancer yields survival and local recurrence rates comparable with those of modified radical mastectomy, studies suggest that postoperative radiation leads to capsular contractures and poor cosmesis in patients with breast implants.
Methods: The authors followed 20 women in whom breast cancer developed after augmentation mammoplasty (14 subcutaneous implants and 6 retromuscular implants). Average age at diagnosis was 52 years (range, 34-72 years). Most (55%) of the patients had tumors in the upper outer quadrant. Fifteen lesions were palpable and five were nonpalpable. All tumors were excised using wide margins that attempted to include a rim of normal breast tissue. Three patients had microscopically positive margins. The predominant histology was ductal adenocarcinoma (85%). The mean greatest tumor dimension was 1.43 cm; 75% were T1 lesions. Levels I and II axillary lymph node dissection revealed metastases in five patients. After surgery, six patients received systemic chemotherapy, and all patients received 4500-5000 cGy of tangential photon radiation delivered to the whole breast, plus a 1400-2100 cGy boost delivered to the tumor site using photon radiation, electron radiation, or iridium 192 implantation.
Results: At a median follow-up of 3.8 years (range, 6 months to 9.3 years), there were no local recurrences; however, in two patients distant metastases developed. Seventeen (85%) of the twenty patients had good or excellent cosmetic results as determined by the degree of capsular contracture, breast shape and appearance, and the presence of skin changes.
Conclusions: The authors conclude that breast-conserving therapy is a cosmetically acceptable therapeutic option for women in whom breast cancer develops after augmentation mammoplasty.