Surgical techniques in breast cancer

Despite important advances in medical treatment, surgery remains a fundamental part of the primary management of breast cancer. Surgeons have a significant input into the therapeutic planning of treatment under the aegis of the multidisciplinary team.Breast cancer management has seen an evolution from the radical extirpation of the previous century, involving loss of the breast, skin and underlying muscle, to current practice, which aims for local excision of the tumour whilst preserving much of the breast. Advancements in the techniques of sentinel node biopsy have reduced formal extensive axillary staging surgery to a minimally invasive procedure.Breast reconstruction has become more common and today's surgeons and patients have a wide range of both alloplastic and autologous techniques from which to choose. Plastic surgery techniques have recently been used at the time of onco-logical tumour excision to allow wider resection margins and improved aesthetic outcomes, thus allowing more women to safely avoid a mastectomy. This article provides a résumé of the current state-of-the art surgical techniques in breast cancer.