title: How do surgeons approach breast cancer surgery in Turkey?  A national survey.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the experience, practice and approaches of general surgeons in relation to the treatment of breast cancer in Turkey.
  
  
  
  A survey was conducted between November 2012 and February 2013 with 453 general surgeons who claimed to perform breast surgery. Initial and most preferred approaches for breast cancer surgery and demographic features of participants were questioned. Initial approaches of surgeons for a suspected breast mass were assessed with a clinical scenario.
  
  
  
  A total of 12.6 % of practicing general surgeons in Turkey responded to the survey. A multidisciplinary assessment was employed by 57.2 % of participants. The most frequently used diagnostic tool was needle biopsies (64.9 %) and the most frequently performed surgery for early stage cancers was breast-conserving surgery (72.2 %). The initial approach for locally advanced breast cancer was neoadjuvant chemotherapy (59.8 %) and mastectomy for metastatic cancer (22.7 %). Sentinel lymph node biopsies were utilized by 59.2 % of participants by different methods in appropriate cases. Oncoplastic breast surgery was performed by 9.0 % of participants, frequently or constantly. The surgeons' initial approaches for the clinical scenario were imaging (56.7 %) and biopsy (40.6 %).
  
  
  
  Although there are efforts to improve up-to-date approaches towards breast cancer surgery by surgeons, currently there are significant inadequacies for evidence-based medicine practices.
authors: Department of Surgery, Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, Izmir, Turkey
authors: Mustafa
authors: M
authors: Emiroğlu
authors: Abdullah
authors: A
authors: Inal
authors: İsmail
authors: İ
authors: Sert
authors: Enver
authors: E
authors: İlhan
authors: Kemal
authors: K
authors: Peker
authors: Mehmet Ali
authors: MA
authors: Gulcelik
authors: Mehmet Ali
authors: MA
authors: Gürçelik
authors: Hilmi
authors: H
authors: Güngör
authors: Semra
authors: S
authors: Salimoğlu
authors: Didem
authors: D
authors: Can
authors: Hülya
authors: H
authors: Ellidokuz
authors: Cengiz
authors: C
authors: Aydın
mesh_terms: D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D015412:Mastectomy, Segmental / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D066231:Surgeons / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey