High Incidence of Axillary Web Syndrome among Breast Cancer Survivors after Breast Reconstruction

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify if breast reconstruction is a surgical risk factor for axillary web syndrome (AWS) in breast cancer (BC) patients.

Methods: The data of 207 patients who have been diagnosed with unilateral BC and who had mastectomy and lymph node dissection were retrospectively reviewed. Information of their clinical and pathological data, whether they had immediate -reconstruction and intraoperative radiotherapy, surgical methods, and postoperative complications during the 3 months after their surgery (AWS, lymphedema, seroma, and myofascial adhesion) were collected, and the incidence of AWS was compared between different surgical methods.

Results: The overall incidence of AWS was 48.8% in 207 patients. Of the 22 patients who received reconstruction, 19 developed AWS, yielding an incidence of 86%. Multivariate logistic regression modeling showed that patients who underwent reconstruction had a significantly higher incidence of AWS (odds ratio, 4.74), as did patients with postoperative complication of myofascial adhesion (odds ratio, 7.07).

Conclusions: BC survivors after breast reconstruction are susceptible to AWS, and there is a significant association between myofascial adhesion and AWS. Our results can stimulate further investigation and provide an evidence base for the development of educational guidance for patients who plan to undergo breast reconstruction.

Keywords: Axillary web syndrome; Breast cancer; Breast reconstruction; Myofascial adhesion.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests. We declare that no party with a direct interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer benefits to us or any organization we are associated with.

Copyright © 2019 by S. Karger AG, Basel.

Figures

Fig. 1

A 45-year-old female with a palpable cording in the axilla extending down to the elbow after right BC surgery.