Geographical Presence of Plastic Surgeons in Relation to Breast Surgeons in the United States for Breast Reconstruction.

Background: Despite advancements in oncoplastic breast surgery, barriers to breast reconstruction remain, particularly in rural and suburban areas. We aimed to assess the presence of plastic surgeons performing breast reconstruction relative to breast surgeons or general surgeons performing breast cancer surgery within urban, suburban, and rural populations.

Methods: Data were collected from the 2024 membership of the American Society of Breast Surgeons and American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Breast and plastic surgeons were totaled by state, and each breast surgeon's zip code was searched for proximity to a plastic surgeon performing reconstructive surgery within 10 or 20 miles. Zip codes were categorized by population density to determine surgeon distribution.

Results: There are 1.8 times more plastic surgeons than breast surgeons. In total, 14% of breast surgeons had no plastic surgeons within 10 miles and 7% had none within 20 miles, compared to 25% and 10% in 2018. In total, 43% of breast and plastic surgeons practice in urban areas, whereas only 25% of breast surgeons and 19% of plastic surgeons practice in rural areas.

Conclusions: While access to breast reconstruction continues to improve, there are still disparities in rural areas. Efforts directed toward improving access to breast reconstruction in more rural areas should be pursued.