When a woman faces a breast cancer diagnosis, and surgery is proposed, several options are available. The decision as to which type of surgery to offer patients is largely subjective and based almost exclusively on the judgment and experience of the clinician. The cosmetic outcome of surgery is a function of many factors including tumour size and location, the volume of the breast, its density, and the dose and distribution of radiotherapy. In breast-conserving surgery, there is evidence that approximately 30% of women receive a suboptimal or poor aesthetic outcome; however there is currently no standardised method of identifying these women.