Breast Cancer: Gustave Roussy Ranked No. 1 in France for Breast Surgery and Breast Reconstruction

With 5,845 breast surgery procedures performed in 2025, nearly half of them (49%) on an outpatient basis, Gustave Roussy ranks first among French healthcare institutions in this field. The Institute also leads in breast reconstruction, with 583 procedures recorded during the same year. It ranks first for each of the main breast reconstruction techniques, including implant-based reconstruction, DIEP flap reconstruction, and lipofilling, as well as for breast symmetrization procedures.

These results come from Visuchir, a tool developed by the French Health Insurance system in collaboration with the Technical Agency for Hospital Information (ATIH), using data from the French Hospital Information System (PMSI). They are based on the analysis of coded surgical procedures performed in all public and private healthcare institutions across France. The figures represent the number of procedures performed rather than the number of patients treated.

The numbers primarily reflect evolving clinical practices. Between 2021 and 2025, breast surgery activity at Gustave Roussy increased by 27%, while breast reconstruction procedures rose by 28%. Some techniques experienced even more significant growth: DIEP flap reconstructions increased by 87%, and lipofilling procedures by 121% over the same period.

Another key finding is the continued growth of breast-conserving surgery. Whenever feasible, this approach removes the tumor while preserving the breast. At Gustave Roussy, these procedures increased by 23% between 2021 and 2025.

Long regarded as a secondary step, breast reconstruction is now considered from the moment treatment decisions are made. When reconstruction is performed during the same operation as cancer surgery, it is known as immediate reconstruction. Gustave Roussy has been a pioneer in this field, and immediate reconstruction is systematically offered whenever medically appropriate. In 2025, more than one woman in two (56%) underwent immediate reconstruction at Gustave Roussy, compared with an average of one in three nationwide (32.4% in 2024, according to the French National Cancer Institute). Reconstruction may involve implants, tissue flaps, or fat grafting (lipofilling).

The Department of Plastic, Oncologic, and Reconstructive Surgery at Gustave Roussy is also developing increasingly minimally invasive approaches, notably endoscopic and robot-assisted surgery for certain reconstruction procedures, with the goal of reducing scarring while maintaining the highest standards of safety.

These results also reflect the strength of an entire care pathway. From diagnosis onward, radiologists, pathologists, and geneticists lay the foundations of the treatment strategy. Medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and anesthesiologists are involved at every stage of treatment alongside surgeons. Nurses, radiology technologists, medical assistants, and care coordination teams ensure continuity and quality of care every day.

All of these teams share the same ambition: to provide women with breast cancer with treatments that are ever more effective while paying greater attention to their bodies, their self-image, and their lives after cancer.

¹ French National Cancer Institute (INCa), Breast Reconstruction After Total Mastectomy in France: National Analysis Based on the SNDS, 2026.