Long-term aesthetic outcomes of reconstructive surgeries with endoprosthetics for breast cancer: A review

Breast cancer (BC) is still the most common cancer among the female population both in the Russian Federation and in the world. Surgical intervention is an important step in the complex treatment of patients with BC. Several variants of reconstructive plastic surgeries are of the greatest interest to oncologists-mammologists and plastic surgeons. Currently, practitioners have plenty of choices of synthetic and biological materials for reconstruction and many options for flap techniques. Despite the abundance of foreign and Russian publications, the issue of assessing the delayed results of breast reconstruction is still relevant. In our paper, we analyzed studies on long-term aesthetic outcomes of reconstructive surgeries with endoprostheses in patients with BC. The technique of endoprosthetics, compared to reconstruction using the patient's tissues, is simpler in technical terms, less traumatic, and the recovery time for patients is shorter. However, despite the use of high-quality implants and the improvement of reconstructive surgery techniques, there remains a certain risk of complications (15–35%). In the early postoperative period, the most common complications are protrusion and infection of the endoprosthesis, necrosis of the areola and wound edges, and implant rotation. Of the late complications, the most relevant is grade III–IV capsular contracture according to J. Baker. The studies emphasize the importance of an individual approach and careful planning of comprehensive treatment to achieve optimal outcomes and improve the quality of life of patients with BC.