No increase of local recurrence rate in breast cancer patients treated with skin-sparing mastectomy followed by immediate breast reconstruction

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of local recurrence after SSM with IBR and to determine whether complications lead to postponement of adjuvant therapy. Method: Patients that underwent IBR after SSM between 2004 and 2011 were included. Results: A total of 157 reconstruction procedures were performed in 147 patients for invasive breast cancer (n = 117) and ductal carcinoma in situ (n 40). The median follow-up was 39 months [range 6-97]. Estimated 5-year local recurrence rate was 2.9% (95% CI 0.1-5.7). The median time to start adjuvant therapy was 27.5 days [range 19-92] in 18 patients with complications, and 23.5 days [range 8-54] in 46 patients without complications (p = 0.025). Conclusion: In our single-institution cohort, IBR after SSM carried an acceptable local recurrence rate. Complications caused a delay of adjuvant treatment but this was within guidelines and therefore not clinically relevant.