The effect of wound complications following mastectomy with immediate reconstruction on breast cancer recurrence.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to determine whether complications following mastectomy with immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) were associated with breast cancer recurrence.

METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of women diagnosed with stage I-III breast cancer who underwent mastectomy with IBR between 2005 and 2010. Patient demographics, tumor data, surgical wound complications, treatment details and timing were recorded and analyzed.

RESULTS: We identified 458 women with a median follow up time of 7.6 years. A total of 22% of patients experienced IBR complications. There was a delay in initiation of adjuvant therapy in patients who had a complication (52 vs 41 days, p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in recurrences between groups with and without complications (p = 0.65).

CONCLUSIONS: In breast cancer patients who undergo mastectomy with IBR, wound complications delayed initiation of adjuvant systemic therapy, but were not associated with an increased risk of cancer recurrence.