Clinicopathological Characteristics and Postoperative Outcomes of Patients Undergoing Modified Radical Mastectomy: A...

Background Breast cancer remains the most common malignancy among women worldwide and a leading cause of cancer-related mortality, particularly in developing countries where delayed presentation and limited screening facilities persist. Objective The objective of this study is to evaluate the clinicopathological profile and short-term (30-day) postoperative outcomes of patients with breast cancer undergoing modified radical mastectomy (MRM) in a resource-limited tertiary care setting while exploring factors that may influence surgical complications. Methods This retrospective observational study included 210 female patients who underwent MRM between January 2022 and December 2024. Demographic, clinical, histopathological, perioperative, and 30-day postoperative outcome data were extracted from hospital records and analyzed using SPSS version 26.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Results The mean age was 51.4 ± 10.2 years, with 63.8% of patients being postmenopausal. Invasive ductal carcinoma was the predominant histological subtype (89.5%). Most patients presented with locally advanced disease (stage IIIC, 60%), and axillary lymph node involvement was observed in 65.7%. Estrogen receptor (ER) positivity was noted in 62.9%, progesterone receptor (PR) positivity in 57.1%, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2/neu) overexpression in 25.7%, and triple-negative breast cancer in 17.1% of cases. The mean operative time was 115 ± 25 minutes, and the mean blood loss was 210 ± 60 mL. Postoperative complications occurred in 27.6% of patients, most commonly seroma formation (16.2%). No 30-day postoperative mortality was observed. Conclusion Modified radical mastectomy remains a safe and effective surgical option for breast cancer management in resource-limited settings, providing acceptable morbidity and reliable short-term outcomes, particularly among patients presenting with advanced disease.