A promising technical advance for patients combines safety, discretion and immediate reconstruction.
Endoscopic bilateral mastectomy: a gentler and more discreet surgery
For several years, breast cancer surgery has undergone a turning point: less invasive, more precise, more oriented towards immediate reconstruction and the well-being of the patient. This dynamic has just reached a major milestone in Lyon. On February 9, 2026, the Léon Bérard Center announced that it had performed the first bilateral minimally invasive endoscopic mastectomy in the region.
Dr Delia Dammacco, reconstructive surgeon behind this operation, explains the interest of this technique: “Still very few hospitals offer this bilateral operation in France. Compared to a classic procedure with an open submammary approach, the use of endoscopy for mastectomy allows for a more discreet scar, hidden under the armpit and much shorter (3 to 4 cm compared to 8 to 10 cm).”
Endoscopy allows precise visualization using a camera, while gas insufflation into the operated area reduces tension on the skin. Result: the skin and nipple can be preserved, limiting post-operative pain and improving final aesthetics. In addition, the risk of displacement of the prosthesis is reduced, the scar being located at a distance from the prosthetic space (location of the breast prosthesis once placed in the body).
Concrete benefits for patients
This approach offers several tangible advantages. The scar, short and hidden under the arm, reduces the visual impact of the operation. Hospitalization is shorter and rehabilitation faster. Reconstruction with breast prosthesis is systematically associated with the intervention, minimizing the risk of displacement of the implant thanks to the distance of the scar from the prosthetic space.
The technique followed by immediate reconstruction by implant is aimed at specific patients: those with a tumor less than 5 cm, at a distance from the nipple-areola plate and without skin involvement, or those at high genetic risk, carrying BRCA 1, BRCA 2, PTEN, TP53 or PALB2 mutations, wishing a prophylactic mastectomy. The anatomical criteria are also taken into account: cup less than C and non-ptotic or pseudoptotic breasts.
A pioneering team in the fight against cancer
The Léon Bérard Center, a major player in the fight against cancer in Lyon and Rhône-Alpes, provides a significant volume of care: in 2024, nearly 3,000 patients were followed for breast cancer, representing 1,158 interventions were carried out by the breast surgery team, made up of six surgeons and one assistant.
This first endoscopic bilateral mastectomy marks a further step towards more humane surgery, where the safety, comfort and aesthetics of patients are fully integrated. As Dr Dammacco points out, this innovation opens the way to less traumatic interventions, allowing the women concerned to experience this difficult stage with greater serenity and hope.