The need for a standardised anthropometric protocol for objective assessment of pre- and postoperative breast surgery

Over the last three decades studies have demonstrated an increase in breast cancer incidence in both the United States (US) (1) and the United Kingdom (UK) (2). Globally, Forouzanfar et al. (3) report that breast cancer incidence increased from 641,000 cases in 1980 to 1,640,000 cases in 2012, representing an annual rate of increase of 3.1%. Surgery is the cornerstone of definitive treatment for breast cancer and may involve removal of part (breast conserving surgery) or all (mastectomy) of the breast tissue (4,5).