Considerable Long-Term Aesthetic Outcomes and Oncologic Safety of Breast-Conserving Surgery Via a Periareolar Incision: A Retrospective Study.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: To investigate the application effect of periareolar incision breast-conserving surgery in patients with early breast cancer. METHODS: From January 2017 to November 2021, a clinician in our research center performed a total of 533 breast-conserving surgery. After screening, we collected the information of 209 patients through telephone, online questionnaires, and outpatient follow-up. One hundred seventeen patients with early breast cancer underwent breast-conserving surgery under the periareolar incision, while 92 patients underwent surgery through the tumor surface incision. We compared the differences between the 2 groups in the length of stay, postoperative complications, adjuvant therapy, and other clinical indicators, as well as the subjective and objective evaluation of the long-term postoperative breast aesthetic outcome, local recurrence, distant metastasis, and survival. RESULTS: With a mean follow-up of 3.9 years, patients in the periareolar incision group (PAIG) and tumor surface incision group (TSIG) had no significant differences in clinical indicators, local recurrence, distant metastasis, and survival. However, PAIG patients had better subjective satisfaction with postoperative breast appearance. In the evaluation of objective aesthetic outcomes, PAIG was significantly better than TSIG in texture and elasticity, symmetry, sunken degree of the operative side, skin color, surgical scar, and breast compliance difference. CONCLUSION: By observing and comparing the clinical indicators, postoperative recurrence, and metastasis of the enrolled patients, this study found that periareolar incision surgery could achieve radical therapeutic effects similar to those achieved through tumor surface incision, and had advantages in improving postoperative aesthetic outcomes, which could provide certain references for clinical practice.