Oncoplastic breast surgery: A guide to good practice.

Oncoplastic Breast Surgery has become standard of care in the management of Breast Cancer patients. These guidelines written by an Expert Advisory Group; convened by the Association of Breast Surgery (ABS) and the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS), are designed to provide all members of the breast cancer multidisciplinary team (MDT) with guidance on the best breast surgical oncoplastic and reconstructive practice at each stage of a patient's journey, based on current evidence. It is hoped they will also be of benefit to the wide range of professionals and service commissioners who are involved in this area of clinical practice.

Guidelines on the standards for the training of specialised health professionals dealing with breast cancer.

According to EUSOMA position paper 'The requirements of a specialist breast unit', each breast unit should have a core team made up of health professionals who have undergone specialist training in breast cancer. In this paper, on behalf of EUSOMA, authors have identified the standards of training in breast cancer, to harmonise and foster breast care training in Europe. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the increase in the level of care in a breast unit, as the input of qualified health professionals increases the quality of breast cancer patient care.

A preliminary study of patients' perceptions of routine follow-up after treatment for breast cancer.

Early detection and longer survival have led to increasing numbers of patients requiring follow-up after treatment for breast cancer, yet there is little consensus as to how this should be achieved. Breast cancer patients have needs that change over time but the current system of follow-up is traditionally routinized and lacks an individualized approach. This preliminary study was designed to ascertain patients' perceptions of routine follow-up care after completion of treatment for breast cancer. A cross-sectional survey of a stratified systematic sample of patients was utilized. Data were collected using semi-structured, taped interviews. The tapes were inductively analysed and coded to ascertain predominant themes. Twenty-four patients were recruited. Analysis indicated that follow-up examinations were hurried (18 patients), investigations were not reassuring (11) and that the lack of continuity was unacceptably poor (22). Many patients (19) felt uncomfortable expressing emotional concerns or asking questions. The majority (18) stated that they would prefer to receive all or part of their follow-up from a breast care nurse. These findings have implications for service provision in terms of quality and cost-effectiveness. On the basis of these results a patient-focused, nurse-led intervention is being evaluated against traditional medical follow-up for patients with breast cancer.