Shoulder dysfunction after partial mastectomy and mini-latissimus dorsi or thoracodorsal artery perforator flaps for breast cancer according to the type of axillary surgeries

Breast cancer is the most common cancer type among women and can lead to death. Over the past few decades, there has been a significant change in the surgical management of breast cancer. The aim of this study is to assess how shoulder function was affected by reconstruction using latissimus dorsi mini flap (LDMF) and thoracodorsal artery perforator (TDAP) flaps following partial mastectomy according to surgeries to axilla. This was a prospective randomized study carried out on 40 consecutive female patients, complaining of early stages of breast cancer (stages I, II), undergo partial breast resection and with small tumor to breast volume ratio. All patients were randomized into two equal groups. Group I: early breast cancer (stages I, II) who underwent mastectomy defect by either TDAP flap. Group II: early breast cancer (stages I, II) who underwent mastectomy LDMF. Axillary surgeries were done to each group either sentinel lymph node biopsy dissection (SLND) or axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). Shoulder mobility affection 6 months postoperative was significantly higher in LDMF group than TDAP flap group (P=0.045). Regarding relation between types of lymph node surgeries and shoulder mobility affection 3–6 months postoperative, shoulder mobility affection was significantly different among the four groups as affected although ALND and LDMF group was higher. Relation between types of lymph node surgeries and effect on shoulder mobility 6 months, shoulder mobility was normal in 16 (72.73%) patients in sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) and in seven (38.89%) patients in ALND and effected in six (27.27%) patients in SLNB and in 11 (61.11%) patients in ALND. Regarding shoulder mobility, affection was significantly higher in ALND than SLNB (P=0.031). The LDMF approach with ALND is with higher shoulder mobility affection in postoperative follow-up after partial mastectomy than LDMF with SLND, TDAP flap with ALND, and TDAP flap with SLND. According to the different types of axillary surgery, ALND had higher shoulder mobility affection.