Complications of Dissection of the Axilla on Account ofBreast Cancer

Overview

Objective:
The objective of the work was to evaluate the incidence and type of postoperativecomplications after radical exenteration of the axilla in conjunction with an implemented surgicaloperation.Design: Retrospective clinical study.Setting: Gynaecological and Obstetric Clinic, First Medical Faculty Charles University and GeneralFaculty Hospital Prague, Apolinářská 18, Prague.Method: The authors made a retrospective analysis of postoperative complications in 116 selectedpatients, who underwent partial breast surgery or ablation of the breast with dissection of theaxilla at the Gynaecological and Obstetric Clinic, First Medical Faculty Charles University andGeneral Faculty Hospital in Prague in 1994–2000 on account of breast cancer stage I and IIaccording to FIGO. The group comprised patients where radiotherapy or chemotherapy of theaxilla was not used. The patients were at least 12 months after operation without signs of locoregionalrelapse of the disease and in the dissected axillary tissue at least 10 lymph nodes werefound. The operations were implemented by nine different surgeons. Early (infection, seroma,haematoma) as well as late (oedema, paraesthesia, stiffness, pain, weakness of the upper extremity)complications were also evaluated. The authors compared the incidence of complaints inrelation to age, the number of dissected nodes and extent of the breast surgery. The statisticalsignificance of the phenomena was evaluated by Fisher’s exact test.Results: At least one complication was recorded in 65% of the patients. In early complications(haematoma, infection, seroma) neither the correlation with the patient’s age nor with the numberof removed nodes was significant. There was a statistically significant relationship (P

Key words:
breast cancer, arm morbidity, axillary dissection, sentinel node biopsy