Superior Cosmetic Results and Oncological Safety with Round Block Technique in Breast Cancer Surgery, Suggests Study
A recent study highlights that the round block technique yields a 90.3% rate of superior aesthetic satisfaction while maintaining acceptable oncological control for tumors in the difficult-to-treat upper and inner quadrants of the breast, as detailed in a recent study published in the Indian Journal of Surgery in April 2026.
While breast-conserving surgery (BCS) is the standard for early-stage malignancy, conventional techniques in the upper and inner quadrants often yield suboptimal aesthetic results. To address this clinical gap, researchers Ergün Yüksel and Serdar Sarıdemir investigated the round block technique (RBT) at a single center to evaluate its oncological and cosmetic efficacy in these challenging anatomical sites.
Therefore, the single-center retrospective study (2015–2024) evaluated 135 patients with upper and inner quadrant tumors undergoing the round-block technique. Researchers utilized a one-year postoperative Likert scale for cosmetic assessment while monitoring surgical margin status and local recurrence rates as key endpoints over a median 24-month follow-up.
Key Clinical Findings of the Study Include:
Pathological Profile: Within the investigated group, the median tumor size was recorded at 20 mm, and the study found that 87.4% of the participants were diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma, suggesting the technique's broad utility for common malignancies.
Surgical Clearance: Initial evaluation of the surgical sites revealed that positive margins occurred in 8.1% of the cases, but the study notes that every instance was successfully rectified through margin revision to ensure oncological safety.
Oncological Surveillance: The durability of the procedure was tested over a median follow-up of 24 months, during which the study reported that local recurrence was exceptionally rare, affecting only two patients in the entire cohort.
Aesthetic Superiority: When examining the primary cosmetic endpoint at the first postoperative year, the study demonstrated that a vast majority of patients, specifically 90.3%, classified their results as being in the "well" or "excellent" categories.
The results suggest that for patients presenting with tumors in the upper and inner quadrants, the round block technique provides not only favorable aesthetic outcomes but also acceptable oncological control, particularly when the median tumor size is approximately 20 mm.
Thus, the study concludes that surgeons should view this oncoplastic method as a reliable and effective option for carefully selected patients to optimize both clinical health and physical appearance.
Although the current data highlights significant benefits for managing specific breast quadrants, the retrospective and single-center nature of the investigation suggests that further research could continue to explore the long-term potential of this surgical method.
Reference
Yüksel, E., & Sarıdemir, S. (2026). Round Block Technique in Managing Breast Cancers of the Upper and Inner Quadrants: Results from a Single-Center Retrospective Study. Indian Journal of Surgery.
