Open AccessLocation and Frequency of Residual Breast Tissue after Mastectomy
Author(s) -
İbrahim Üstün,
Kemal Beksaç,
Olcay Kandemir,
Uğur Berberoğlu
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
breast care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.767
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 1661-3805
pISSN - 1661-3791
DOI - 10.1159/000494765
Subject(s) - medicine , quadrant (abdomen) , breast tissue , mastectomy , breast cancer , biopsy , breast biopsy , residual , radiology , surgery , cancer , mammography , algorithm , computer science
Residual breast tissue after mastectomy is a problem since breast cancer can arise from it. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence and location of residual breast tissue following modified radical mastectomy. Methods: 111 consecutive breast cancer patients who underwent mastectomy were enrolled in this study. During surgery, after removal of the breast tissue and before skin closure, a 1-cm2 tissue sample was obtained from each quadrant under the skin flaps. These samples were evaluated histopathologically for the presence of any residual breast tissue. Results: Residual breast tissue was detected in the tissue samples of 12/111 (10.8%) patients. 4 of these patients had residual breast tissue in all 4 quadrants. 6 patients had residual tissue in a single quadrant. With 9 positive biopsy results, the upper medial quadrant was the most frequently involved location. The other quadrants had 6 positive biopsy results each. At the end of a median of 20 months of follow-up, none of these patients developed breast cancer recurrences. Conclusion: Mastectomy has a high probability of residual breast tissue being left behind. Physicians should be aware of this and act accordingly when planning surgical or follow-up treatment.