Using Local Flaps in a Chest Wall Reconstruction after Mastectomy for Locally Advanced Breast Cancer

• Published in: Archives of plastic surgery Vol. 42; no. 3; pp. 288 - 294
• Main Authors: Park, Joo Seok, Ahn, Sei Hyun, Son, Byung Ho, Kim, Eun Key
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 333 Seventh Avenue, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10001, USA Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc 01.05.2015; The Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons; 대한성형외과학회
• Subjects: breast neoplasms; mammaplasty; Original; Original Article; surgical flaps; thoracic wall; 성형외과학; Breast neoplasms; Mammaplasty; Surgical flaps; Thoracic wall
• ISSN: 2234-6163; 2234-6171
• DOI: 10.5999/aps.2015.42.3.288

Background Surgical ablation for locally advanced breast cancer results in large chest wall defects, which can then be managed with local flaps or skin grafts. The purpose of this article is to evaluate the outcomes of three types of local skin flaps. Methods Among 25 local flaps in 24 patients, 6 were bilateral advancement (BA) flaps, 9 were thoracoabdominal (TA) flaps, and 10 were thoracoepigastric (TE) flaps. Clinical outcomes were compared including complications, the need for a secondary surgical intervention, and the timing of adjuvant therapy. Results The mean defect size was 436.2 cm 2 . Two patients with TA flaps and 6 patients with TE flaps developed distal flap necrosis, and skin grafts were needed to treat 2 patients with TE flaps. Radiation was administered to the BA, TA, and TE patients after average postoperative durations of 28, 30, or 41 days, respectively. The incidence of flap necrosis tended to be higher in TE patients, which lead to significant delays in adjuvant radiation therapy (P=0.02). Conclusions Three types of local skin flaps can be used to treat large chest wall defects after the excision of locally advanced breast cancer. Each flap has its own merits and demerits, and selecting flaps should be based on strict indications based on the dimensions and locations of the defects.