A Scientometric Analysis of 20 Years of Research on Breast Reconstruction Surgery: A Guide for Research Design and Journal Selection

Background Breast reconstruction refers to the rebuilding of a woman's breast using autologous tissue or prosthetic material to form a natural-looking breast. It is increasingly offered to women undergoing mastectomy for breast cancer. However, there is no systematic analysis available for the expanding area of research on breast reconstruction.

Methods A bibliometric method was used to obtain a view of the scientific production about breast reconstruction by data extracted from the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI). Specific parameters were retrieved from the ISI. Articles about breast reconstruction were analyzed to obtain a view of the topic's structure, history, and document relationships using HistCite software. Trends in the most influential publications and authors were analyzed.

Results The number of articles was constantly increasing. Most highly cited articles described the methods of flap construction in the surgery. Other highly cited articles discussed the psychological or emotional aspects of breast reconstruction, skin sparing mastectomy, and breast reconstruction in the irradiated breast.

Conclusions This was the first breast reconstruction scientometric analysis, representing the characteristics of papers and the trends of scientific production. A constant increase in the number of breast reconstruction papers and also the increasing number of citations shows that there is an increasing interest in this area of medical science. It seems that most of the research in this field is focused on the technical aspects of surgery.

Keywords

Mammaplasty - Bibliometrics - Historiography

We appreciate Farzan Institute for Research and Technology for technical assistance.

Publication History

Received: 17 October 2012

Accepted: 07 December 2012

Article published online:
01 May 2022

• REFERENCES

• 1 Djohan R, Gage E, Bernard S. Breast reconstruction options following mastectomy. Cleve Clin J Med 2008; 75 Suppl 1 S17-S23
• 2 Blamey RW. BASO Breast Specialty Group The British Association of Surgical Oncology Guidelines for surgeons in the management of symptomatic breast disease in the UK (1998 revision). Eur J Surg Oncol. 1998. 24. 464-476
• 3 Ahmed S, Snelling A, Bains M. et al. Breast reconstruction. BMJ 2005; 330: 943-948
• 4 Rozen WM, Rajkomar AK, Anavekar NS. et al. Post-mastectomy breast reconstruction: a history in evolution. Clin Breast Cancer 2009; 9: 145-154
• 5 Gainford MC, Simmons C, Nguyen H. et al. A practical guide to the management of menopausal symptoms in breast cancer patients. Support Care Cancer 2005; 13: 573-578
• 6 Czerny V. Plastic replacement of the breast with a lipoma. Chir Kong Verhandl 1895; 2: 216
• 7 Losken A, Jurkiewicz MJ. History of breast reconstruction. Breast Dis 2002; 16: 3-9
• 8 Silva OE, Zurrida S. Breast cancer: a practical guide. 2002. New York: Elsevier Science;
• 9 Viani GA, Stefano EJ, Afonso SL. et al. Breast-conserving surgery with or without radiotherapy in women with ductal carcinoma in situ: a meta-analysis of randomized trials. Radiat Oncol 2007; 2: 28
• 10 Jacobs LK. Lumpectomy or mastectomy: is quality of life the tie-breaker?. Ann Surg Oncol 2007; 14: 3035-3036
• 11 Chung TL, Schnaper L, Silverman RP. et al. A novel reconstructive technique following central lumpectomy. Plast Reconstr Surg 2006; 118: 23-27
• 12 Wilkins EG, Alderman AK. Breast reconstruction practices in north america: current trends and future priorities. Semin Plast Surg 2004; 18: 149-155
• 13 Hendrix D. An analysis of bibliometric indicators, National Institutes of Health funding, and faculty size at Association of American Medical Colleges medical schools, 1997-2007. J Med Libr Assoc 2008; 96: 324-334
• 14 Hendrix D. Tenure metrics: bibliometric education and services for academic faculty. Med Ref Serv Q 2010; 29: 183-189
• 15 GLOBOCAN 2008. Breast cancer incidence and mortality worldwide in 2008 summary [Internet]. 2011. cited 2013 Jan 30 Lyon (FR): International Agency for Research on Cancer; Available from:. https://globocan.iarc.fr/factsheets/cancers/breast.asp
• 16 Lash TL, Fox MP, Silliman RA. Reduced mortality rate associated with annual mammograms after breast cancer therapy. Breast J 2006; 12: 2-6
• 17 Glass AG, Lacey Jr JV, Carreon JD. et al. Breast cancer incidence, 1980-2006: combined roles of menopausal hormone therapy, screening mammography, and estrogen receptor status. J Natl Cancer Inst 2007; 99: 1152-1161
• 18 Reavey P, McCarthy CM. Update on breast reconstruction in breast cancer. Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol 2008; 20: 61-67
• 19 Allen RJ, Treece P. Deep inferior epigastric perforator flap for breast reconstruction. Ann Plast Surg 1994; 32: 32-38
• 20 Holmstrom H. The free abdominoplasty flap and its use in breast reconstruction: an experimental study and clinical case report. Scand J Plast Reconstr Surg 1979; 13: 423-427
• 21 Allen RJ, Tucker Jr C. Superior gluteal artery perforator free flap for breast reconstruction. Plast Reconstr Surg 1995; 95: 1207-1212
• 22 Nahabedian MY, Momen B, Galdino G. et al. Breast Reconstruction with the free TRAM or DIEP flap: patient selection, choice of flap, and outcome. Plast Reconstr Surg 2002; 110: 466-475
• 23 Young VL, Watson ME. Breast implant research: where we have been, where we are, where we need to go. Clin Plast Surg 2001; 28: 451-483 vi
• 24 Rozen WM, Ashton MW, Taylor GI. Defining the role for autologous breast reconstruction after mastectomy: social and oncologic implications. Clin Breast Cancer 2008; 8: 134-142
• 25 Peters MA. Plastic surgery-epitomes of progress: breast reconstruction. West J Med 1982; 136: 524-525