Updated indications and techniques for immediate breast reconstruction, particularly in the case of adjuvant radiotherapy

In 2023, 62,000 patients were diagnosed with breast cancer in France. Every year, 22,000 mastectomies are performed. Breast reconstruction (BR) should be an integral part of breast cancer management. Yet the MR rate in France is only 28% within 3 years of mastectomy, of which 14% are immediate breast reconstruction (IBR). The number of contraindications to RMI has steadily declined over the last few decades, although some of them remain definitive, such as inflammatory cancer (T4d). Today, many specialists involved in the management of breast cancer consider that IBR can be proposed in cases where adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy is indicated, if it is not expected to delay carcinological management. The surgical team must then inform the patient of all available BR techniques. If a team does not offer a particular technique, the patient should be referred to a center that does. In all cases, the proposal for curative and reparative treatment should be the subject of a multidisciplinary discussion involving, in particular, a surgeon, a radiotherapist and a medical oncologist. When adjuvant radiotherapy is indicated, the patient must be informed of the increased risk of complications and deterioration of the aesthetic result. In this indication, RMI by prosthesis is a validated technique. However, if the patient has a history of radiotherapy, autologous techniques should be preferred. In a context of shared decision-making, the choice of whether or not to undergo MR and the type of technique must ultimately be made by the patient, in agreement with the multidisciplinary team. @2024 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.