Omental transposition flap for gross locally recurrent breast cancer

The omentum has been employed to cover the defect produced after resection of gross breast cancer recurrence for nearly three decades.

A series of 11 patients undergoing omental transposition flap for very wide resection of gross local recurrence (LR) of breast cancer is reported. The median age was 39 years, with a short interval (median = 21 months) from the treatment of the primary tumour to LR. Local recurrence was gross and predominantly inflammatory.

All except one patient had lymphovascular invasion in the recurrent tumour. The omental graft was 100% viable but one patient required re-application of further split-thickness skin graft. The mean hospital stay was 16 days. Two cases of seroma formation were encountered. New recurrence developed around the periphery of the flap in eight patients after a median duration of local control of only 2.5 months. Eight patients died with metastatic disease after a median period of 6 months, six patients with uncontrolled local disease. Five patients were free from LR in over half of their remaining period of life.

Omentoplasty is a safe and reliable procedure but the length of palliation achieved is often far from satisfactory.