Abass MO, Gismalla MDA, Alsheikh AA, Elhassan MMA. Axillary Lymph Node Dissection for Breast Cancer: Efficacy and Complication in Developing Countries.
J Glob Oncol 2019;
4:1-8. [PMID:
30281378 PMCID:
PMC6223503 DOI:
10.1200/jgo.18.00080]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose
Axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) frequently is performed as part of the surgical management of breast cancer as a therapeutic and prognostic index, but increasingly has been perceived as associated with significant complications. Data on efficacy and complications of ALND in Sudan are lacking. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and complications of ALND in patients with breast cancer treated with mastectomy and breast-conserving surgery.
Methods
We performed a prospective, hospital-based study in women with invasive breast cancer who underwent modified radical mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery with ALND between September 2014 and August 2015. The efficacy of ALND was defined as retrieval of ≥ 10 lymph nodes. Complications of ALND were assessed objectively and subjectively and defined as either present or absent.
Results
Of 96 patients with breast cancer included in the study, 40 (42%) developed postaxillary clearance complications. The median follow-up time was 18 months (range, 12 to 24 months). Numbness was reported by 21.9% of patients. Seroma was noted in 15.6% and lymphedema in 9.4%. Approximately 9% reported episodes of infection or inflammation at the surgical site. None of the studied factors were found to affect the incidence of complications significantly. Ten or more lymph nodes were retrieved in 81.3% of patients, and nodal metastasis was found in 62.5%.
Conclusion
This study shows that the prevalence of undesirable adverse effects after ALND is 42%, with paresthesia and seroma being the most prevalent. The lymphedema prevalence was low in relation to other evaluated symptoms.
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