Association between skin flap necrosis and sarcopenia in patients who underwent total mastectomy

Sarcopenia is associated with postoperative complications in patients undergoing digestive surgery. In this study, we investigated the impact of preoperative sarcopenia on postoperative complications in breast cancer patients who underwent total mastectomy.

Patients with breast cancer who underwent total mastectomy were included in the analysis. The relationship between the presence of sarcopenia and postoperative complications (e.g., skin flap necrosis and seroma) and between the incidence of these complications as well as preoperative and surgical factors was investigated. Moreover, the effects of sarcopenia on recurrence-free survival and overall survival were evaluated. The psoas muscle index calculated using values measured on preoperative computed tomography images was used to diagnose sarcopenia.

In total, 43 (49%) of 88 patients presented with sarcopenia. The number of patients with a Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index score <91 was higher in the sarcopenia group than in the non-sarcopenia group (p = 0.011). Seroma was observed in 32 (36.4%) patients, and no significant difference was observed between the patients with and without sarcopenia (16 [35.6%] in the non-sarcopenia group vs 16 [37.2%] in the sarcopenia group). By contrast, skin flap necrosis was observed in 20 (22.7%) patients, and the number of patients with this complication was higher in the sarcopenia group than in the non-sarcopenia group (15 [34.9%] vs 5 [11.1%]).

Sarcopenia is a risk factor for skin flap necrosis and may be an important factor for preoperative evaluation in patients who will undergo total mastectomy.