Background: Locally advanced breast cancer represents 20%-25% of breast cancer patients at diagnosis. The aim of this prospective study was to assess the feasibility and the oncologic outcome in the treatment of patients of locally advanced breast cancer that had been downstaged by neoadjuvant chemotherapy to the extent that makes them eligible for conservative breast surgery.Methods: This prospective study was done on 50 female patients who were diagnosed with locally advanced breast cancer and received neoadjuvant chemotherapy to downstage cancer making it eligible for conservation, managed and treated at El Menoufia University Hospital and Tanta Cancer Center from March 2017 to March 2018 after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. The collected data were organized, tabulated and statistically analyzed using SPSS software.Results: Significant difference between pre and post-chemotherapy tumor size in patients with locally advanced breast cancer. Conservative breast surgery with intraoperative frozen section assured free margins in all of them with acceptable cosmetic outcome. No local recurrence recorded after one year of follow up.Conclusions: In the present study, it was observed that conventional neoadjuvant chemotherapy is effective in downgrading the tumor size and axillary lymph nodes in patients with locally advanced breast cancer. Breast conservation after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is safe in terms of local recurrence.
Oncologic and Cosmetic Outcomes of Oncoplastic Breast Surgery in Locally Advanced Breast Cancer After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy, Experience from a Developing Country