Abstract
BACKGROUND: Breast-conserving surgery (BCS) in patients with large tumors shrunk by neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) remains controversial. We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the local recurrence rates in locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) patients receiving NCT comparing BCS with mastectomy. METHODS: Pubmed, Web of Knowledge, and Ovid's database were searched for studies concerning treatment for LABC from January 2000 to June 2015. A meta-analysis was performed to compare the recurrence rates of patients receiving BCS versus mastectomy following NCT. RESULTS: 8 trials with a total of 3,215 patients were analyzed. The prevalence of local recurrence was 9.2% in the BCS group versus 8.3% in the mastectomy group without significant difference (odds ratio (OR) 1.07, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.28-1.48; p = 0.66). The 5-year local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) rate was lower in the mastectomy group than in the BCS group, but no significant difference was found between the 2 groups (OR 1.11, 95% CI 0.61-1.99; p = 0.74). CONCLUSION: BCS after NCT is safe in terms of local recurrence and LRFS in LABC women. Shrinking tumors with NCT provides the opportunity to apply BCS with no detriment to outcome.