Breast lymphedema after breast conserving treatment

The authors aimed to evaluate breast lymphedema after breast conserving therapy (BCT) and sentinel node biopsy (SNB) or axillary clearance (AC). Fifty-seven breast cancer patients with BCT underwent SNB only and 103 underwent AC ( 57 with tumor negative and 46 with positive axillary nodes). Clinical examination and breast ultrasonography ( US) were performed one year after surgery. Clinical examination revealed breast edema in 48% of patients in the AC node positive group, in 35% in the AC node negative group, and in 23% in the SNB group (p<0.05 between SNB and AC node positive). US revealed subcutaneous edema in the operated breast in 69-70% of the patients in the AC groups and in 28% in the SNB group (p=0.001-0.0001 between the SNB and the AC groups). Breast lymphedema was less common one year after BCT in patients with SNB only than in those with more extensive axillary treatment.