POSTOPERATIVE APPROACH - FOLLOW-UP AFTER ONCOPLASTIC BREAST SURGERY

Oncoplastic breast surgery (OPBS) strives to provide a good aesthetic outcome, without compromis-ing the oncological principles, which depends on the postoperative care of the patients, and regular outcome assessment. Oncological Safety is the priority, described here the art of early detection of recurrences and second primary tumors. The aesthetic outcome is the second arm of OPBS and in this chapter, various methods of assessment of the outcomes have been touched upon which can be subjective (e.g. questionnaires and panel evaluation) or objective (e.g., BCCT.core software) in their approach. The third pillar of a good follow up is managing the surgical complications, diagnosing them early, and preventing them. Postoperative Period is divided into three phases, namely Immediate Postoperative Period (0-30 days), Early Recovery and Surveillance (30 days-2 years) and Long-Term Survivorship Phase (>2 years). Each phase has its own set of goals, improving the patient care. Various surgical complications and their management have been addressed such as SSI, Fat Necrosis, seroma, in addition to the importance of physical rehabilitation to mitigate upper limb morbidity and lymph-edema. Oncological follow up points out the importance of a multidisciplinary team formed by the breast surgeon, medical oncologists, onco-radiologist, and radiation oncologist to tailor patient specific treatment plans. Emphasis has also been put on the need of psychosocial support and promoting quality of life through general lifestyle modifications. The importance of surveillance and screening for recur-rence and second primary tumors cannot be emphasized adequately here, various guidelines have been described in literature for e.g. by NCCN, ESMO, MD Anderson Cancer Center and others. Achieving all these goals will contribute to holistic patient care in OPBS.