Overview

Breast explant aims to review existing evidence on the symptom clusters that can be experienced in breast cancer patients and their relation to treatment trajectory. This is important for the planning of symptom management in different breast cancer treatment settings, including minor and major surgery, radiotherapy, neo-adjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy.

Inconsistent results regarding symptom clusters exist, mainly due to the heterogeneity in methods used to identify symptom clusters. This also influences the interpretation of the findings. Future studies should focus on examining symptom clusters separately in each treatment setting, and use standardised instruments for symptom assessment during symptom cluster identification.

Why Breast Surgery Clusters Are the Future of Breast Health Care

We analysed a total of 229 patients who underwent a reintervention after previous conservative surgery and at least one diagnostic breast service (core needle or fine-needle aspiration biopsy, mammography, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, drainage of breast abscess and ultrasound-guided vacuum-assisted biopsy). The costs of the reintervention, hospitalisation, and healthcare resource utilisation were assessed. The reinterventions were mostly performed in Major Outpatient Surgery (MOS) and less costly than the original surgery, but they still caused a substantial financial burden.

For patients who require a second surgery, prevention strategies should be considered to minimise the occurrence and severity of symptoms. These might include lifestyle adjustments, e.g., dietary changes, exercising to build muscle strength, and reducing stress levels. Regular self-examinations are also vital. In addition, psychological support can help reduce the risk of postoperative complications. Finally, it is essential to discuss the reoperation with the surgeon and to plan carefully for long-term care after surgery, such as continuing follow-up appointments.