[Is standard radical mastectomy still a treatment option for select patients with breast cancer ?]

Currently, minimal surgery is the treatment of choice for most breast cancer patients. However, some patients with locally advanced breast cancer( LABC) require standard radical mastectomy( SRM) before or after systemic therapy.

We reviewed the medical records of 7 patients with breast cancer who underwent SRM in our hospital between January 2007 and April 2013 and examined their clinicopathological features and prognostic outcomes.

The average patient age was 68 years. SRM was performed because of muscle invasion( n=6), Rotter lymph node metastases( n=3), and level III lymph node metastases( n=3). After SRM, the wound was closed by skin grafting in 2 of the 7 patients. With regard to postoperative complications, 2 patients required rehabilitation for shoulder joint stiffness, whereas wound infection and arm edema were encountered in 1 and 2 patients, respectively. During the median follow-up time of 26 (range; 4-69) months, 3 patients experienced recurrence. The metastatic sites in the 3 patients were the supraclavicular lymph nodes, the chest wall, and the liver, respectively.

Quality of life( QOL) following SRM was acceptable in the patients examined. SRM could be considered as a treatment option in select patients with LABC.