What are the risks of preventive breast cancer surgery?

The risks of risk-reducing breast surgery to prevent breast cancer are primarily short term and are related to the surgical recovery. These include wound infections, tissue ischemia, and bleeding. These are infrequent complications, occurring in less than 2% to 3% of patients undergoing surgery. Long-term risks would include cosmetic issues related to the reconstruction, the risk of developing breast cancer (less than 5% to 10%), and pain from the procedure (usually very limited and short term). Loss of sensation is one concern, but it diminishes over time. One option that may offer fewer sensory issues is a nipple-sparing mastectomy. Infection issues requiring the removal of an implant occur in less than 1% of cases. The risk of infection is equally low for either a tissue expander or immediate implant. This risk is 2% to 3%, but most are treated successfully without requiring the removal of the implant if that is the form of reconstruction selected.