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Skin and nipple-areola complex sparing mastectomy (SNSM) and primary reconstruction have been popular for breast cancer treatment in the last decade. An advantage of the SNSM technique is the removal of all breast tissue as a radical surgical procedure while preserving native breast integrity, nipple-areola complex (NAC), and submammary fold. This retrospective 15-year clinical study analyzes medical records from our breast surgery database collected at our department between 1997 and 2012. A total number of 3757 patients were treated for breast cancer; 411 (10.9%) patients had a skin-sparing mastectomy with the median (range) length follow-up of 63 months. This is the longest follow-up for SNSM in breast cancer patients; 3.7% of patients who underwent SNSM developed disease local recurrence, whereas occult NAC involvement with cancer occurred in 7.7% and local recurrence in the NAC in 1.2%. Partial necrosis of the NAC developed in 9.4% and total necrosis in 0.7% of operated breasts. All disease recurrences occurred in the first 10 years of the follow-up period. Local recurrence developed as first recurrence event has longer median cancer-specific survival time of 70 months than those with only distant metastases with 50 months and locoregional plus distant metastases with 35.5 months. The "Omega" pattern incision combines an oncological radical procedure with a lower incidence of skin flap necrosis. Patients reconstructed with autologous tissue were the group most satisfied. SNSM is an oncological safe procedure for breast cancer treatment with low recurrence in properly selected patients.

Recently, skin-sparing mastectomy (SSM) with nipple-areola complex (NAC) preservation has been promoted as an oncologically safe procedure in practice for selected patients. The criteria of selection have not been yet defined precisely. The focus of this study was to investigate predictive factors of NAC-base neoplastic involvement to define the indications for NAC preservation. A prospective clinical study was conducted of 108 randomly selected female patients with invasive breast cancer. Analyzed markers of NAC involvement were tumor-nipple distance (TND), tumor size, localization, histologic type, grade, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), site, and axillary lymph-node status. The definitive histologic findings of the NAC base were compared with analyzed markers and the frozen section results. NAC base was positive in 23.15% patients at definitive histology with false-negative results in 4.63% patients at intraoperative frozen section. Significant differences were found in TND, tumor size, axillary lymph-node status, and LVI. There were no significant differences in tumor grade and site and not enough cases for statistical evaluation in histologic type and localization. Clinical indications for NAC preservation, according to this study, include tumors < or =2.5 cm, TND >4 cm, negative axillary lymph node status, and no LVI. Considering the possibility of pre- or intraoperative measurement, tumor size, and TND evaluation will result in the lowest possible mistakes in NAC preservation. Frozen section analyses of the NAC base, because of the "false-negative" possibility, could be deemed as a relative prognostic factor until definitive histologic findings. The presence of an extensive intraductal component (EIC) in the "borderline" cases of these criteria could be an additional argument for NAC removal.

Hyperkeratosis of the nipple and areola is a rare, sporadic, benign condition characterized by verrucosus thickening and brownish discoloration of the nipple and areola. Approximately 50 cases of hyperkeratosis of the nipple and areola have been reported in the literature. Dermatologists treated most of them conservatively. We have described the case of healthy 19-year-old girl with bilateral nevoid hyperkeratosis of the areola and our treatment by surgical removal of the areola and reconstruction with a skin graft. As far as we know, this is the first report of this kind of treatment. The final result is esthetically excellent and without recurrence during 12 months' follow-up.

During the Homeland War in Croatia, many civilians suffered from war wounds of the extremities. Explosive war wounds create composite and devastating injuries mainly by high-energy transfer to the tissue. We present an early reconstruction of explosive heel wound with an iliac osteocutaneous free flap with late follow-up result.

In the history of breast surgery, we have seen a lot of changes in orientation, position, and localization of breast incisions. Most of the biopsy incisions have been made with no consideration of future mastectomy or reconstruction because a wide ellipse of skin removed during the mastectomy included the biopsy site. The primary surgical treatment was in the competence of the oncologic or general surgeon. Reconstruction was not an integral part of breast carcinoma therapy and was considered as a secondary, unimportant treatment to be preformed by a plastic surgeon at a later date if desired by the patient. Wide acceptance of conservative breast operations, skin-sparing mastectomy, and reconstruction as an integral part of breast cancer therapy necessitates new consideration about the initial incisions used for breast biopsy. We consider the omega incision not only as a type of incision but also as a concept that can be used for all breast surgery, including biopsy, lumpectomy, skin-sparing mastectomy, and reconstruction.

The deep inferior epigastric perforator flap is accepted worldwide as a reliable and relatively safe technique for autologous breast reconstruction. Preserving the continuity of the rectus muscle, it reduces donor site morbidity, allowing less postoperative pain, a faster recovery, and a reduced hospital stay. Nevertheless, the more complex nature of this type of surgery leads to increased operating time and a demand for more tedious microsurgical dissection. The authors present a modification of the deep inferior epigastric perforator flap harvesting technique that allows a more safe, simple, and faster elevation of the flap. They have used it successfully for breast reconstruction in 3 patients.

Radiation-induced osteosarcoma is a rare complication of radiation therapy for breast cancer. The authors present a 60-year-old patient in whom osteosarcoma of the chest wall developed 5 years after modified radical mastectomy and radiation therapy for breast cancer. One year after resection of the chest osteosarcoma, metastasis to the contralateral axillary lymph nodes developed and these were removed. Radiation-induced osteosarcoma is difficult to treat and has a poor prognosis, thus early diagnosis is necessary for optimal treatment.