INTRODUCTION:
The breast is an aesthetic and functional organ and a symbol of motherhood, femininity, and sexuality, which typifies the central focus of a woman's anatomy. For those reasons, breast surgery should take into account its importance to each woman's identity.
Breast conservation surgery (BCS) combined with postoperative radiotherapy has become the preferred locoregional treatment for the majority of patients with early-stage breast cancer, with equivalent survival to that of mastectomy and improved body image and lifestyle scores.
Oncoplastic techniques for breast conservation encompass a wide variety of procedures. These are often described as either level I or level II procedures. Level I OPS techniques are those employed when less than 20% of breast volume is excised, and no mammoplasty is needed for reshaping. They include glandular flaps that can be advanced or rotated to fill the cavity. Level II techniques, based on a therapeutic mammoplasty with associated skin excision, are required when a larger volume is resected.
Oncoplastic breast surgeons should always choose the simplest procedure that will maintain or improve the aesthetics. Four factors are significant for the identification of patients who would benefit from OBCS. When considered together, they provide a sound basis for determining when and what type of OBCS to perform. These are: excision volume, tumor location, glandular density and breast volume.