Key clinical point: Patients with breast cancer (BC) who underwent post-mastectomy breast reconstruction followed by post-mastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) had an increased risk for postoperative complications, such as infections and contractures, than those who did not receive PMRT.
Major finding: Patients who did vs did not receive PMRT had a significantly higher risk for postoperative wound infections (odds ratio [OR] 1.95; P = .003) and skin contractures ( OR 7.24; P = .005 ).
Study details: Findings are from a meta-analysis of 11 studies including 2288 patients with BC who underwent breast reconstruction, of which 516 patients received PMRT after breast reconstruction.
Disclosures: This study did not report any source of funding. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Huang N, Lu L, et al. Effect of radiation therapy during surgery on postoperative wound complications after breast reconstruction in patients with breast cancer: A meta-analysis. Int Wound J. 2023 (Oct 31). doi: 10.1111/iwj.14473