Background. Postmastectomy seroma causes patients' discomfort, delays starting the adjuvant therapy, and may increase the possibility of surgical site infection. Objective. To evaluate quilting of the mastectomy flaps with obliteration of the axillary space in reducing postmastectomy seroma. Methods. A randomized controlled study was carried out among 120 females who were candidates for mastect...

PURPOSE The role of postmastectomy radiotherapy in the treatment of T1-2 primary tumor with 1-3 positive lymph nodes is controversial. We compared treatment outcomes between breast conserving surgery followed by radiotherapy (BCS+RT) and total mastectomy alone (TM) in the setting of modern adjuvant systemic treatments. METHODS Patients with T1-2 primary breast cancer and 1-3 positive lymph no...

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To describe the experience of viewing oneself in a mirror following a mastectomy. RESEARCH APPROACH Ricoeur's hermeneutic phenomenology. SETTING Three hospitals in a nonprofit healthcare system in the southwestern United States. PARTICIPANTS Purposive sample of 12 women 3-12 months postmastectomy. METHODOLOGIC APPROACH Structural analysis and phenomenologic interpreta...

BACKGROUND The effectiveness of postmastectomy radiation (PMRT) in breast cancer patients with N2 and N3 nodal status is often evaluated in combination with other postmastectomy adjuvant treatments. To account for interaction effects and determine the individual impact of PMRT alone, the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) was analyzed from 2004-2011. PATIENTS AND METHODS We evaluated a cohort o...

Many trials in breast cancer have investigated various aspects of locoregional and systemic treatments. Combination of the results of these trials in a meticulous meta-analysis, as has been done several times by the Early Breast Cancer Trialists’ Collaborative Group (EBCTCG), fi lls the gaps in evidence and knowledge by conclusively showing signifi cant trends and diff erences. Following public...