Inclusion Criteria:

- patients desire for breast conserving surgery;

- fulfills criteria for breast conserving surgery;

- the maximum diameter of the tumor should be less than the semi-perimeter of the
areola and that the proximal margin of tumor should be at least 1 cm away from the
areola;

- patients suitable to receive BCS with either the peri-areolar incision or the
traditional incision were included;

Exclusion Criteria:

- patients not suitable for breast conserving surgery;

- skin or sub-cutaneous tumor invasion as definite contra-indication of skin-sparing;

- male or bilateral breast cancers who might bring up bias in deciding aesthetic
outcomes and expenditure;

- Patients who were supposed to benefit from a certain kind of incision were also
excluded at the researcher's discretion.