The need for a standardised anthropometric protocol for objective assessment of pre- and postoperative breast surgery

Over the last three decades studies have demonstrated an increase in breast cancer incidence in both the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK). Globally, Forouzanfar et al. report that breast cancer incidence increased from 641,000 cases in 1980 to 1,640,000 cases in 2012, representing an annual rate of increase of 3.1%. Surgery is the cornerstone of definitive treatment for breast cancer and may involve removal of part (breast conserving surgery) or all (mastectomy) of the breast tissue. Of the 45,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer annually in the UK, 30% to 40% undergo mastectomy. Furthermore, in a study of re-operation rates following breast conserving surgery in England, it was identified that of 55,297 women who had primary breast conserving surgery, 18.5% required a second breast operation, of which 7.7% were mastectomies. Breast reconstruction following mastectomy has become an integral part of patient rehabilitation with approximately 75% of women who have undergone a mastectomy going on to have immediate or delayed unilateral or bilateral reconstruction surgery. In 2011 it was estimated that approximately 96,000 breast reconstructive surgeries were performed in the US.