The approach of general surgeons to oncoplastic and reconstructive breast surgery in Turkey: a survey of practice patterns.

BACKGROUND: Oncoplastic Breast Surgery (OBS), which is a combination of oncological procedures and plastic surgery techniques, has recently gained widespread use.

AIMS: To assess the experiences, practice patterns and preferred approaches to Oncoplastic and Reconstructive Breast Surgery (ORBS) undertaken by general surgeons specializing in breast surgery in Turkey.

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study.

METHODS: Between December 2013 and February 2014, an eleven-question survey was distributed among 208 general surgeons specializing in breast surgery. The questions focused on the attitudes of general surgeons toward performing oncoplastic breast surgery (OBS), the role of the general surgeon in OBS and their training for it as well as their approaches to evaluating cosmetic outcomes in Breast Conserving Surgery (BCS) and informing patients about ORBS preoperatively.

RESULTS: Responses from all 208 surgeons indicated that 79.8% evaluated the cosmetic outcomes of BCS, while 94.2% informed their patients preoperatively about ORBS. 52.5% performed BCS (31.3% themselves, 21.1% together with a plastic surgeon). 53.8% emphasized that general surgeons should carry out OBS themselves. 36.1% of respondents suggested that OBS training should be included within mainstream surgical training, whereas 27.4% believed this training should be conducted by specialised centres.

CONCLUSION: Although OBS procedure rates are low in Turkey, it is encouraging to see general surgeons practicing ORBS themselves. The survey demonstrates that our general surgeons aspire to learn and utilize OBS techniques.