Immediate breast reconstruction after mastectomy for cancer

Background: Immediate breast reconstruction after mastectomy has increased over the past decade following the unequivocal demonstration of its oncolog ical safety and the availability of reliable methods of reconstruction. Bro adly, it is undertaken in the treatment of breast cancer, after prophylacti c mastectomy in high-risk patients, and in the management of treatment fail ure after breast-conserving surgery and radiotherapy. Immediate breast reco nstruction can be achieved reliably with a variety of autogenous tissue tec hniques or prosthetic devices. Careful discussion and evaluation remain vit al in choosing the correct technique for the individual patient. Methods: This review is based primarily on an English language Medline sear ch with secondary references obtained from key articles. Results and conclusion: Immediate breast reconstruction is a safe and accep table procedure after mastectomy for cancer; there is no evidence that it h as untoward oncological consequences. In the appropriate patient it can be achieved effectively with either prosthetic or autogenous tissue reconstruc tion. Patient selection is important in order to optimize results, minimize complications and improve quality of life, while simultaneously treating t he malignancy. Close cooperation and collaboration between the oncological breast and reconstructive achieve these objectives.