Seromas belong to common postoperative complications in breast surgery, with the prevalence rate from 3% to 60%.
Our aim in this paper was to establish the factors most significant in the occurrence of seroma after radical surgery for breast cancer.
The study employed a prospective non-randomized design and took place at the General Surgery Clinic, Clinical Center Niš. The studied group comprised 100 female patients with diagnosed primary breast cancer. All the patients underwent radical surgery – modified radical mastectomy according to Madden.
The following patient factors were observed: age, body mass index (BMI), disease stage, median primary tumor size at diagnosis, cancer-involved retrieved nodes, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, dissection technique (cautery/scalpel), estimated blood loss, drainage on the last day (in ml) and duration of surgery. Seroma was defined as any clinically detected collection of fluid under the flaps.
Seromas were identified in 21 patients. BMI was the factor most significant in the formation of seroma in our study – OR 1.39, CI (1.058–2.65), and the following factors were also statistically significant: dissection technique – OR 1.76, CI (1.17–7.67), and total duration of drainage of the surgical wound – OR 1.12, CI (1.06–2.41).
Surgery is the most important aspect of breast cancer treatment. The rate of postoperative complications after breast surgery for cancer is relatively low. In our study, BMI had the greatest predictive significance for seroma formation, followed by the parameters such as dissection technique and total duration of drainage of the surgical wound as statistically significant as well.
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