title: Breast reconstruction following mastectomy for invasive breast cancer by free flaps from the abdomen is oncologically safe.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report the long-term results of oncological safety of breast reconstruction by autologous tissue following mastectomy for invasive breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  One-hundred-fifty-six consecutive patients with invasive breast cancer treated with mastectomy and reconstruction by autologous tissue were reviewed throughout (from 1987 to 2003 with median follow up time of 66 months).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median patient age was 45.9 years (range 26-68). The 157 observed tumors had mean diameter of 25+/-19 mm, 70 of them were poorly differentiated, and 137 were invasive ductal carcinoma. Multifocal disease was present in 44 patients. Breast reconstruction was carried out only by autologous tissue (free flaps were used in 95% and free TRAM flap transfer was the most common reconstructive procedure). There was only one local recurrence as first site of recurrence, thus yielding a local recurrence rate of 0.6%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Breast reconstruction by autologous tissue following mastectomy for invasive breast cancer is an oncologically safe procedure.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Oncology, Department of Surgery, Zaloska 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia. msnoj@onko-i.si
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Snoj
authors.forename: Z M
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Arnez
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sadikov
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Suvorov
mesh_terms: D000009:Abdominal Muscles; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016462:Mammaplasty / Q000379:methods*; D008408:Mastectomy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000453:epidemiology; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D016896:Treatment Outcome