Latest Breast and Endocrine Surgery research

Top 3 this week

Week of 1 November 2026

1. 1

   Use of autofluorescence and/or indocyanine green in thyroid surgery: recommendations by the European Society of Endocrine Surgeons (ESES)

   The British journal of surgery · Q1 journal · SR/MA of RCTs · Evidence level 1 (High) · 5 October 2026

   A review of 34 studies, including 11 randomized trials, found promising results for near-infrared imaging with or without indocyanine green in reducing postoperative hypoparathyroidism, inadvertent gland removal, and autotransplantation. The European Society of Endocrine Surgeons used the evidence and expert consensus to develop guidance, but the abstract gives no effect sizes or specific recommendations.

2. 2

   Comparative Effectiveness and Safety of Energy Devices for Thyroidectomy: An Outcome-Specific Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

   Head & neck · Q1 journal · SR/MA of RCTs · Evidence level 1 (High) · 27 October 2026

   In a network meta-analysis of randomized trials, Harmonic devices also reduced operative time, blood loss, hospital stay, and odds of transient hypocalcemia and vocal cord nerve palsy compared with conventional hemostasis. LigaSure improved operative efficiency, but its other benefits were less consistent. The comparisons do not establish overall device superiority, so absolute benefits and device characteristics still matter.

3. 3

   Efficacy of an AIMP1-Derived Peptide (NeoPep-S) for Radiation-Induced Dermatitis in Breast Cancer Patients: A Prospective Randomized Active-Controlled Trial

   Aesthetic plastic surgery · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 24 October 2026

   In this small randomized trial after breast reconstruction and radiation, all 15 patients completing follow-up with NeoPep-S had complete itch resolution, compared with 4 of 8 using standard cream. Scar scores and pain also improved more with NeoPep-S, while skin barrier recovery was similar at 1 month; only 23 of 30 randomized patients completed the study, so larger trials are needed.

Paper of the day, last two weeks

• Primary Endocrine Therapy vs Upfront Surgery for Older Women With Estrogen Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

  JAMA network open · Q1 journal · SR/MA of RCTs · Evidence level 1 (High) · 2 November 2026

  In a review of 29 studies involving 22,821 patients, randomized trials found no statistically significant overall survival difference between primary endocrine therapy and upfront surgery, although results leaned toward surgery. Disease control on endocrine therapy lasted longer in studies selecting patients by tumor biology, suggesting that biology and frailty - not age alone - should guide who might be a candidate.

• Long-Term Comparison of US-guided Microwave Ablation Combined with Ethanol Injection versus Surgery for Nodular Retrosternal Goiter

  Radiology · Q1 journal · Cohort · Evidence level 3 (Low) · 1 November 2026

  In a matched retrospective comparison of 448 patients followed for a median of 48 months, microwave ablation plus ethanol injection had similar treatment success to surgery: 98.7% versus 100%. Both relieved symptoms, while ablation was linked to fewer complications and shorter hospital stays, procedures, and incisions. Whether these results hold in broader patient groups remains unclear.

• Robotic surgery for papillary thyroid carcinoma with lateral cervical lymph node metastasis: a hybrid design, observational, propensity score matching cohort study

  Surgical endoscopy · Q1 journal · Prospective cohort · Evidence level 2 (Moderate) · 2 November 2026

  In propensity-matched patients with selected low-risk thyroid cancer that had spread to lateral neck nodes, robotic surgery had similar lymph node retrieval and recurrence rates to open surgery: recurrence was 2.0% versus 3.3% over about three years, a difference that was not statistically significant. Robotic surgery took longer, but cosmetic outcomes were better; longer follow-up is still needed.

• Added Value of Preoperative Contrast Enhanced Mammography in Staging of Malignant Breast Lesions (PROCEM): A Randomized Controlled Trial

  Radiology · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 1 November 2026

  In this randomized trial of 415 women with early-stage breast cancer, contrast-enhanced mammography changed treatment for 17 of 202 patients who received it, below the trial's 10% target. It estimated cancer extent more closely than standard imaging, but mastectomy and reoperation rates did not differ between groups, leaving the clinical benefit of those more accurate estimates uncertain.

• Recurrence and surveillance intensity after prophylactic central neck dissection for papillary thyroid carcinoma: Long-term follow-up of a randomized trial

  Surgery · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 2 September 2026

  In a randomized trial of 57 patients followed for a median of 6.4 years, neither group had a recurrence requiring reintervention; Bayesian estimates suggested low recurrence risk with or without preventive central neck dissection. The added procedure was linked to 21% more surveillance, without meaningfully reducing recurrence or follow-up needs, though the small trial leaves uncertainty about long-term risk.

• Metachronous contralateral papillary thyroid carcinoma following lobectomy: Incidence, clinicopathological shifts, and survival outcomes in a population-based cohort

  Surgical oncology · Q1 journal · Unclassified · Evidence level 5 (Expert Opinion) · 26 October 2026

  In a population-based cohort of 14,058 patients, 177 developed cancer in the remaining thyroid lobe; the estimated cumulative incidence was 1.7% at 20 years. The second cancer was not significantly linked to worse overall or thyroid cancer-specific survival, supporting lobectomy for appropriately selected patients while leaving treatment decisions individualized.

• Growth of Benign Thyroid Nodules Is Associated With a High Reintervention Rate Without Clear Benefit

  The Journal of surgical research · Q1 journal · Cohort · Evidence level 4 (Very Low) · 29 October 2026

  In this single-center review of 411 patients, 17.1% had a repeat biopsy and 3.9% underwent surgery; just two patients were later diagnosed with thyroid cancer, and neither cancer was in the biopsied nodule. Nodules meeting guideline growth criteria were more likely to be rebiopsied, while repeated ultrasounds were common. Longer-term follow-up is needed to clarify the value of this surveillance.

• Survival After Risk-Reducing Mastectomy in Patients With Pathogenic Variants in BRCA1 and BRCA2: A Network Meta-Analysis

  JAMA network open · Q1 journal · SR of cohorts · Evidence level 2 (Moderate) · 1 October 2026

  Directly assesses survival after risk-reducing mastectomy

• Assessment of changes in quality of life after thyroid surgery in older adults. A prospective study

  Frontiers in endocrinology · Q1 journal · Cohort · Evidence level 3 (Low) · 14 October 2026

  In a prospective study of 88 adults older than 60, quality-of-life scores improved on 10 of 13 measures 6 to 12 months after surgery. Relief of physical symptoms and daily-life impairment was seen mainly in patients with benign nodules; scores improved after both partial and total thyroid removal. The study had no nonsurgical comparison group, so it cannot show how much improvement surgery itself caused.

• Beyond Surgical Follow-Up: Measuring the Long-Term Burden of Permanent Hypoparathyroidism After Thyroid Cancer Surgery

  Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · Q1 journal · Prospective cohort · Evidence level 2 (Moderate) · 9 October 2026

  In a cohort of 518 adults followed for a median of 10.8 years, 11.6% still needed calcium or active vitamin D at least a year after surgery, and all affected patients remained on supplements at their latest follow-up. Central neck dissection was associated with higher risk; cancer risk categories did not predict it independently after accounting for surgery extent.

• Oncological outcomes related to margin status following skin-sparing mastectomy with immediate implant reconstruction: An 18-year prospective cohort study

  European journal of surgical oncology : the journal of the European Society of Surgical Oncology and the British Association of Surgical Oncology · Q1 journal · Prospective cohort · Evidence level 2 (Moderate) · 22 October 2026

  In this prospective cohort, patients with invasive breast cancer and involved or close margins had local recurrence in 10.4% of cases, compared with 3.8% among those with clear margins, after about 10 years of follow-up. Radiation was associated with lower recurrence in the involved or close-margin group, but not with clear margins; the nonrandomized findings cannot prove radiation caused the difference.

• Single-Stage Nipple Sparing Mastectomy with Concurrent Mastopexy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

  Aesthetic surgery journal · Q1 journal · SR of cohorts · Evidence level 2 (Moderate) · 23 October 2026

  Across 1,076 breasts in 19 studies, total nipple-areolar complex necrosis occurred in 0.9%, while partial necrosis occurred in 5.9%; mastectomy-flap necrosis was 3.1%. These pooled rates suggest the one-stage combination can be feasible for carefully selected patients, but the evidence comes largely from small case series and leaves ideal selection criteria and patient-rated cosmetic outcomes unresolved.