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World J Clin Oncol. Jun 10, 2015; 6(3): 25-29
Published online Jun 10, 2015. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v6.i3.25
Present status of endoscopic mastectomy for breast cancer
Tetsuhiro Owaki, Yuko Kijima, Heiji Yoshinaka, Munetsugu Hirata, Hiroshi Okumura, Simiya Ishigami, Yasuhito Nerome, Toshiro Takezaki, Shoji Natsugoe
Tetsuhiro Owaki, Yuko Kijima, Heiji Yoshinaka, Munetsugu Hirata, Hiroshi Okumura, Simiya Ishigami, Yasuhito Nerome, Toshiro Takezaki, Shoji Natsugoe, Community-based Medicine, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Health, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima 890-8544, Japan
Author contributions: All the authors equally contritued to this work.
Conflict-of-interest: None.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Tetsuhiro Owaki, MD, PhD, Community-based Medicine, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Health, Kagoshima University, 8-35-1 Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima 890-8544, Japan. towaki@m2.kufm.kagoshima-u.ac.jp
Telephone: +81-99-2756898 Fax: +81-99-2756899
Received: January 10, 2015
Peer-review started: January 10, 2015
First decision: February 7, 2015
Revised: April 2, 2015
Accepted: May 5, 2015
Article in press: May 6, 2015
Published online: June 10, 2015
Abstract

Endoscopy is now being used for breast cancer surgery. Though it is used for mastectomy, lymph node dissection, and breast reconstruction, its prime use is for mastectomy. Because an incision can be placed inconspicuously in the axillary site, a relatively large incision can be created. A retractor with an endoscope, CO2, and an abrasion device with the endoscope are used for operation space security. It is extremely rare that an endoscope is used for lymph node dissection. For breast reconstruction, it may be used for latissimus muscle flap making, but an endoscope is rarely used for other reconstructions. Endoscopic mastectomy is limited to certain institutions and practiced hands, and it has not been significantly developed in breast cancer surgery. On the other hand, endoscopic surgery may be used widely in breast reconstruction. With respect to the spread of robotic surgery, many factors remain uncertain.

Keywords: Endoscopy, Video-assisted, Breast cancer, Surgery, Mastectomy

Core tip: Endoscopic mastectomy is limited to certain institutions and practiced hands, and has not yet been significantly developed in breast cancer surgery. However, endoscopic surgery may be used widely in breast reconstruction. Many factors remain uncertain with respect to the spread of robotic surgery.