A population-based audit of surgical practice and outcomes of oncoplastic breast conservations in Scotland - an analysis of 589 patients

Abstract Introduction Current evidence for oncoplastic breast conservation (OBC) is based on single institutional series. Therefore, we carried out a population-based audit of OBC practice and outcomes in Scotland. Methods A predefined database of patients treated with OBC was completed retrospectively in all breast units practicing OBC in Scotland. Results 589 patients were included from 11 units. Patients were diagnosed between September 2005 and March 2017. High volume units performed a mean of 19.3 OBCs per year vs. low volume units who did 11.1 (p = 0.012). 23 different surgical techniques were used. High volume units offered a wider range of techniques (8–14) than low volume units (3–6) (p = 0.004). OBC was carried out as a joint operation involving a breast and a plastic surgeon in 389 patients. Immediate contralateral symmetrisation rate was significantly higher when OBC was performed as a joint operation (70.7% vs. not joint operations: 29.8%; p  Conclusion This study demonstrated that measured outcomes of OBC in a population-based multi-centre setting can be comparable to the outcomes of large volume single centre series.