New criteria for breast symmetry evaluation after breast conserving surgery for cancer

• Main Author: VIEIRA,RENÉ ALOISIO DA COSTA
• Publication Date: 2021
• Other Authors: BILLER,GABRIELE, SILVA,FABIOLA CRISTINA BRANDINI DA, SILVA,JONATHAS JOSÉ DA, OLIVEIRA,MARCO ANTÔNIO DE, BAILÃO-JUNIOR,ANTÔNIO
• Format: Article
• Language: eng
• Source: Revista do Colégio Brasileiro de Cirurgiões
• Download full: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-69912021000100219
• topic: Breast Neoplasms. Conservative Treatment. Mastectomy; Segmental. Body Image. ROC Analysis

ABSTRACT Objective: to evaluate symmetry after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) for cancer. Methods: a prospective study of patients undergoing BCS. These patients were photographed using the same criteria of evaluation. The references points used were the nipple height difference (NH), the nipple-manubrium distances (NM), nipple-sternum distances (NS) and the angle between the intramammary fold and the nipple (nipple angle; NA). ImageJ software was used. Three breast symmetry models were evaluated: excellent/others (model 1), excellent-good/others (model 2) and others/poor (model 3). The ROC curve was used to select acceptable criteria for the evaluation of symmetry. Decision tree model analysis was performed. Results: a total of 274 women were evaluated. The BCCT.core result was excellent in 5.8% (16), good in 24.1% (66), fair in 46.4% (127) and poor in 23.7% (65). The difference in NH was associated with good breast area (0.837-0.846); acceptable differences were below 3.1 cm, while unacceptable values were greater than 6.4 cm. Differences in the NM were associated with average breast area (0.709-0.789); a difference in value of less than 4.5 cm was acceptable, while values greater than 6.3 cm were unacceptable. In the decision tree combined model, a good-excellent outcome for patients with differential (d) dNH = 1 (0 to 5.30 cm) and dNM ≠ 3 (<6.28 cm); and for a poor/poor result, values dNM = 3 (> 6.35). Conclusions: the results presented here are simple tools that can assist the surgeon for breast symmetry evaluation.