Controversies on cosmetic outcomes in black women after breast conservation therapy: hyperperception or hyperpigmentation?

Sophia M Edwards-Bennett¹, Carol L Brown^2
1Department of Radiation Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; ²Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, NY, USA

Abstract: Multiple studies have reported inferior cosmetic outcomes after breast conservation surgery and adjuvant radiation therapy in black women. However, cosmetic analysis scales contemporarily utilized in the field of radiation oncology rely largely on subjective visual and tactile perception. These methods are undeniably fraught with intraobserver and interobserver variability. Herein, we uncover how and why these methods may unwittingly and disparately misjudge cosmetic outcomes in black women, and the clinical ramifications thereof. In addition, we highlight more objective cosmetic outcomes assessment programs that promise to yield more reproducible and unbiased results.

Keywords: cosmetic outcomes, black women, breast conservation