Background: The impact of immediate breast reconstruction on the time to first adjuvant therapy is controversial.
Methods: Retrospective study design comparing time to first treatment in women undergoing mastectomy with and without immediate reconstruction in a community cancer center.
Results: Seventy-six cases fit inclusion criteria of which 44 (58%) underwent mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. Women undergoing immediate reconstruction were younger, had more bilateral mastectomies and had fewer prior breast procedures. The median time to first adjuvant therapy was longer in the immediate reconstruction group [80.5days (36-343) versus 53.5 days (18-96), p = 0.003]. Fifteen of 44 patients had the start of adjuvant treatment over 90 days after resection, 14 of whom (93%) had immediate reconstruction versus 1 (7%) who did not (p = 0.01).
Conclusion: In this study immediate breast reconstruction was associated with a longer time to first adjuvant treatment, with adjuvant therapies being more likely delayed over 90 days.
Keywords: Adjuvant therapy; Breast cancer; Immediate reconstruction.
Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.