Breast-conserving surgery is contraindicated for recurrent giant multifocal phyllodes tumours of breast

Abstract

Background: The controversy between breast conserving surgery and simple mastectomy for phyllodes tumours of the breast remains because of the unpredictable nature of the disease. Although some benign tumours may show an unusually aggressive behaviour, modified radical surgery for phyllodes tumours offers no survival advantage, and recently more conservative surgical approaches have been deployed.Case presentation: A 30-year-old woman with a giant multifocal tumour of the breast underwent breast-conserving surgery that made use of the well- circumscribed feature of the tumour. The case demonstrates the safety, and cosmetic benefit of the breast-conserving approach for multifocal phyllodes tumours except for the high recurrence rate.Conclusions: Large size, multifocality, and borderline or malignant histology are contraindications for breast-conserving surgery. © 2014 Weledji et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.