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Geographical Presence of Plastic Surgeons in Relation to Breast Surgeons in the United States for Breast Reconstruction: A Five-Year Update
Carly Wareham MD
1, Brittany Bertaux BS
2, Elsa Chahine MD
1, Christopher Homsy MD
3, Dylan Perry MD
3, Sarah Persing MD MPH
3,
4, Salvatore Nardello DO
4, Abhishek Chatterjee MD MBA FACS
3,
4
1Department of Surgery, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA 2University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, Boston, MA 3Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA 4Division of Surgical Oncology and Breast Surgery, Department of Surgery, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA
Background: Despite advances in post-mastectomy reconstruction, there remains a barrier to breast reconstruction, particularly in rural and suburban areas. We aimed to provide a five-year update to assess new trends in breast reconstruction surgery within urban, suburban, and rural populations.
Methods: A database investigation of the 2024 membership of the American Society of Breast Surgeons and American Society of Plastic Surgeons was performed. The number of breast and plastic surgeons were totaled by state. Each breast surgeon’s zip code was searched for the presence or absence of a plastic surgeon who performs breast reconstruction within 10 or 20 miles. Zip codes were further categorized into urban, suburban, or rural by population density to determine the percentage of surgeons within each category.
Results: There are 1.8 times the number of plastic surgeons compared to breast surgeons. 14% of breast surgeons had no plastic surgeons within 10 miles; 7% had none within 20 miles. When greater than 20 miles away, the average distance of a plastic surgeon was 50 miles. This is compared to 25% and 10% respectively in 2018. 43% breast surgeons practice in urban areas, 32% in suburban, and 25% in rural areas. 43% of plastic surgeons practice in urban areas, 38% in suburban, and 19% in rural areas.
Conclusion: While access to breast reconstruction continues to improve, there are still disparities in rural areas. Efforts directed towards improving access to breast reconstruction in more rural areas should be pursued.
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