Establishing an equipoise: Does the use of acellular dermal matrices in pre-pectoral implant-based breast reconstruction improve outcomes?

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women in the United Kingdom. Surgical management commonly comprises mastectomy and reconstruction, of which implant-based breast reconstruction (IBBR) is the most prevalent. Acellular dermal matrices (ADM) are widely used in pre-pectoral IBBR; however, there is limited high-quality evidence supporting their efficacy. This study aimed to establish an equipoise via an expert consensus survey.

Methods: An online survey was designed with a steering group of experts. Questions covered participant information, opinions regarding surgical outcomes with ADM use in pre-pectoral IBBR and opinions regarding the available scientific evidence on the topic. The survey was advertised via national and international professional organisations. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed.

Results: Thirty-two participants from the UK, Italy and Australia completed the survey. Key findings of this study included disagreement among participants regarding the surgical outcomes associated with ADM use. Participants who believed that ADM reduced the risk of short-term complications and implant failure/explantation comprised a minority (21.9%). Participants who felt that ADM use improved cosmetic outcomes and reduced long-term complications were a relative majority at 43.8% and 40.6%, respectively. Furthermore, 56.3% of the participants felt that there was scarce scientific evidence on the topic.

Conclusions: This study provides insights from international surgeons, establishing a lack of consensus on surgical outcomes, efficacy and evidence-base supporting the use of ADMs in pre-pectoral IBBR. Given this clinical equipoise, alongside the growing burden of breast cancer associated morbidity and need for reconstruction, the implications of this study are that large-scale, prospective, randomised-controlled data are needed to establish whether ADM use in pre-pectoral breast reconstruction improves the outcomes.