Influence of adjuvant irradiation on shoulder joint function after mastectomy for breast carcinoma

The influence of postoperative radiation therapy on ipsilateral shoulder function following mastectomy was evaluated from a series of 52 women with primarily operable carcinoma of the breast. Mastectomy and partial axillary dissection were carried out in all patients. In addition, 29 of the patients received postoperative irradiation with 36.6 Gy applied mid-axillarily in 12 fractions with irradiation twice a week. A significant impairment of the active shoulder mobility was found in the irradiated group (p less than 0.01). The passive mobility did not differ significantly between the two groups. The impairment of active shoulder mobility is suggested to be caused by radiation induced subcutaneous fibrosis.