Oncological Safety of Autologous Fat Grafting in Breast Reconstruction: A Meta-analysis Based on Matched Cohort Studies

Abstract

Background: Autologous fat grafting has become a commonly used procedure for breast reconstruction after breast cancer surgical treatment. Nevertheless, oncological considerations remain concerning autologous fat grafting after breast cancer surgery.

Objective: This meta-analysis aimed to summarize the current matched cohort studies and provide high-quality evidence-based conclusions on the oncological safety of fat grafting in breast reconstruction.

Methods: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis guidelines were followed. A literature search was performed on August 1, 2021, using PubMed. All relevant matched cohort studies of patients undergoing autologous fat grafting after breast cancer surgery were included. After independently screening the studies and extracting the data, pooled estimates for local and regional recurrence as well as distant metastases were conducted using Review Manager software (RevMan, version 5.3). Outcomes were expressed as odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals.

Results: Seventeen studies involving 7494 patients were included. The observed outcomes indicated that no significant differences existed in the risks of local and regional recurrence or distant metastases between autologous fat grafting and control groups. Also, there was no significant heterogeneity among the studies.

Conclusion: This study provided evidence-based conclusions that support the use of autologous fat grafting in breast reconstruction.

Level of evidence iii: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Keywords: Autologous fat grafting; Breast reconstruction; Matched cohort; Meta‐analysis; Oncological safety.