Oncoplastic Breast Surgery - A Paradigm Shift

Abstract

Breast Cancer is the most frequent female cancer all over the world and according to estimates Pakistan has the highest incidence of Breast Cancer in Asia.¹ Advances in adjuvant treatments have resulted in better outcomes with increased survival of patients. Oncological clearance is the undisputed primary goal of cancer surgery but the modern Breast surgeon is bound to consider the aesthetic results of surgery and its impact on self-image. Breast cancer diagnosis was a death sentence in the 19^th century, but its management has advanced tremendously from the disfigurement of radical mastectomy and acceptable modified radical mastectomy to the present day oncoplastic breast surgery. Oncoplastic breast surgery started in the 1990s for the management of Breast Cancer and has gained worldwide recognition and acceptance to provide cancer patients with best possible aesthetic outcomes.²