A prospective study of factors affecting seroma formation after modified radical mastectomy in patients of carcinoma of breast

Background: Seroma, a clinically evident subcutaneous collection of serous fluid after breast cancer surgery, developing in approximately 30% of cases. To prevent seroma formation, it is important to estimate individual risk of seroma formation, i.e., the identification of predictive variables will be helpful in designing future trials aimed at reducing the incidence of this seroma. This study intends to find out the association between certain pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative factors related to MRM and incidence of seroma formation.Methods: It was an observational prospective on 100 females undergoing MRM at Department of Gandhi Medical College Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. Patients were observed postoperatively for seroma formation and factors affecting it.Results: patients with seroma formation in this study tended to be older age (age, 62.60±10.40 years versus 56.13±10.31 years; p<0.001) and more obese (BMI, 26.95±4.2 versus 24.61±3.61; p<0.001). Higher amount of initial drain volume was directly related to seroma formation.  Initiation of arm physiotherapy after surgery (3.14±0.23 days versus 2.17±0.74 days; p=0.043).Conclusions: The incidence of seroma is higher in older and in more obese patients. The incidence is decreased by flap fixation under muscles and early physiotherapy. Furthermore, few interventions in the operative period can help minimize the chances of seroma formation.