P177. Microvascular breast reconstruction and lymph node transfer for postmastectomy lymphoedema patients – Does it affect quality of life?

e24040 Background: Cancer treatment-related lymphoedema (CTRL) is a chronic and disabling complication that carries a significant health burden during cancer survivorship. Vascularized lymph node transfer (VLNT) is employed increasingly to microsurgically reconstruct physiological lymphatic flow in affected limbs. We set out to synthesise and assess the efficacy of VLNT for reducing limb volume and infection outcomes in CTRL. Methods: A systematic review was conducted by searching PubMed, Medline and EMBASE databases during early 2020. All full-text English-language articles reporting VLNT as the sole therapeutic intervention for the management of CTRL that provided volumetric limb and/or patient-reported lymphatic quality of life and/or cellulitis-related outcomes were included. All studies were scored for methodological quality (STROBE and CONSORT checklists) and lymphoedema-specific data reporting quality. Using a random-effects model, we estimated the pooled limb volume reduction and 95% CI for upper and lower limbs stratifying according to site of measurement and VLNT donor. We also estimated the pooled reduction in cellulitis episodes and mean improvement in lymphoedema-related quality of life. PROSPERO ID: CRD42020204080. Results: The search strategy identified 277 articles. Thirty-one studies encompassing 581 patients were included with the overall methodological quality of studies assessed to be low. Meta-analysis demonstrated that performing VLNT for CTRL led to limb volume reductions in both upper limb (above elbow circumferential reduction rates (CRR) = 42.7 % (95% CI: 36.5-48.8, I2: 94.3 %, p = 0.000, 153 patients, 10 studies); below elbow CRR = 34.1 % (95% CI: 33.0-35.1, I2: 0.0 %, p = 0.919, 144 patients, 9 studies)) and lower limb (above knee CRR = 46.8 % (95% CI: 43.2-50.4, I2: 92.4 %, p = 0.000 26 patients, 3 studies); below knee CRR = 54.6 % (95% CI: 39.0-70.2, I2: 97.6%, p = 0.000, 26 patients, 3 studies)) CTRL. Similarly, extra-abdominal VLNT, abdominal VLNT and autologous breast reconstruction with VLNT reduced CTRL by CRRs of 49.5 % (95% CI: 46.5-52.5, I2: 8.3 %, p = 0.365, 7 studies, 108 patients), 39.6 % (95% CI: 37.2-42.0, I2: 89.5 %, p = 0.000, 3 studies, 15 patients) and 32.7 % (95% CI: 11.1-54.4, I2: 96.9 %, p = 0.000 3 studies, 29 patients). VLNT reduced mean annual cellulitis episodes by 2.1 (95% CI: -2.7- -1.4) episodes per annum and improved lymphoedema-specific quality of life was improved by 4.26 (LYMQOL “overall domain” scale). Conclusions: Performing VLNT for CTRL results in reductions of limb volume and cellulitis episodes for both upper and lower limbs. However, published studies were methodologically heterogeneous and of low quality highlighting the need for standardized outcome reporting and further well-designed randomized controlled trials comparing VLNT against existing therapies.

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Comment on “Breast cancer-related lymphedema: quality of life after lymph node transfer”

Plastic and Aesthetic Research ◽

10.20517/2347-9264.2016.71 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 3 (9) ◽

pp. 320

Author(s):

Azra Ashraf

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Quality Of Life ◽

Lymph Node ◽

Breast Cancer Related Lymphedema ◽

Lymph Node Transfer

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Quality of Life and Patient Satisfaction after Breast Reconstruction: Free TRAM vs. Expansion/Implant

Journal of Reconstructive Microsurgery ◽

10.1055/s-2006-947945 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 22 (03) ◽

Author(s):

Laszlo Kovacs ◽

Nikolaos Papadopulos ◽

Mrkus Kloeppel ◽

Katja Schwenzer ◽

H Seitz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Patient Satisfaction ◽

Breast Reconstruction

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An Investigational Surgical Procedure (Vascularized Lymph Node Transfer) in Reducing the Risk of Lymphedema in Patients With Breast Cancer Undergoing Breast Reconstruction

Case Medical Research ◽

10.31525/ct1-nct03990610 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Lymph Node ◽

Breast Reconstruction ◽

Surgical Procedure ◽

Lymph Node Transfer ◽

Vascularized Lymph Node Transfer

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Microvascular Breast Reconstruction With Lymph Node Transfer

Case Medical Research ◽

10.31525/ct1-nct04246034 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Keyword(s):

Lymph Node ◽

Breast Reconstruction ◽

Lymph Node Transfer

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Breast reconstruction after breast cancer surgery – persistent pain and quality of life 1–8 years after breast reconstruction

Scandinavian Journal of Pain ◽

10.1515/sjpain-2021-0026 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Nina Honkanen ◽

Laura Mustonen ◽

Eija Kalso ◽

Tuomo Meretoja ◽

Hanna Harno

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Quality Of Life ◽

Breast Reconstruction ◽

Perforator Flap ◽

Persistent Pain ◽

Rectus Abdominis ◽

Preoperative Pain ◽

Significant Difference

Abstract Objectives To assess the long-term outcome of breast reconstructions with special focus on chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) in a larger cohort of breast cancer survivors. Methods A cross-sectional study on 121 women with mastectomy and breast reconstruction after mean 2 years 4 months follow up. The mean time from breast reconstruction to the follow-up visit was 4 years 2 months. We studied surveys on pain (Brief Pain Inventory, BPI and Douleur Neuropathique 4, DN4), quality of life (RAND-36 health survey), sleep (insomnia severity questionnaire, ISI), mood (Beck’s Depression Index, BDI; Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, HADS), and a detailed clinical sensory status. Patients were divided into three groups: abdominal flap (Deep inferior epigastric perforator flap, DIEP; Free transverse rectus abdominis flap, fTRAM, and Pedicled transverse rectus abdominis flap, pTRAM), dorsal flap (Latissimus dorsi flap, LD and Thoracodorsal artery perforator flap, TDAP), and other (Transverse myocutaneous gracilis flap, TMG; implant). Clinically meaningful pain was defined ≥ 4/10 on a numeric rating scale (NRS). We used patients’ pain drawings to localize the pain. We assessed preoperative pain NRS from previous data. Results 106 (87.6%) of the patients did not have clinically meaningful persistent pain. We found no statistically significant difference between different reconstruction types with regards to persistent pain (p=0.40), mood (BDI-II, p=0.41 and HADS A, p=0.54) or sleep (p=0.14), respectively. Preoperative pain prior to breast reconstruction surgery correlated strongly with moderate or severe CPSP. Conclusions Moderate to severe CPSP intensity was present in 14% of patients. We found no significant difference in the prevalence of pain across different reconstruction types. Preoperative pain associated significantly with postoperative persistent pain.

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Improving the quality of life of patients with breast cancer-related lymphoedema by lymphaticovenous anastomosis (LVA): study protocol of a multicentre randomised controlled trial

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-035337 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. e035337 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Joost Wolfs ◽

Jop Beugels ◽

Merel Kimman ◽

Andrzej A Piatkowski de Grzymala ◽

Esther Heuts ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Quality Of Life ◽

Lymph Node ◽

Randomised Controlled Trial ◽

Conservative Treatment ◽

Cancer Treatment ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Breast Cancer Treatment ◽

Randomised Controlled

IntroductionEarly breast cancer detection and advancements in treatment options have resulted in an increase of breast cancer survivors. An increasing number of women are living with the long-term effects of breast cancer treatment, making the quality of survivorship an increasingly important goal. Breast cancer-related lymphoedema (BCRL) is one of the most underestimated complications of breast cancer treatment with a reported incidence of 20%. A microsurgical technique called lymphaticovenous anastomosis (LVA) might be a promising treatment modality for patients with BCRL. The main objective is to assess whether LVA is more effective than the current standard therapy (conservative treatment) in terms of improvement in quality of life and weather it is cost-effective.Methods and analysisA multicentre, randomised controlled trial, carried out in two academic and two community hospitals in the Netherlands. The study population includes 120 women over the age of 18 who have undergone treatment for breast cancer including axillary treatment (sentinel lymph node biopsy or axillary lymph node dissection) and/or axillary radiotherapy, presenting with an early stage lymphoedema of the arm, viable lymphatic vessels and received at least 3 months conservative treatment. Sixty participants will undergo the LVA operation and the other sixty will continue their regular conservative treatment, both with a follow-up of 24 months. The primary outcome is the health-related quality of life. Secondary outcomes are societal costs, quality adjusted life years, cost-effectiveness ratio, discontinuation rate of conservative treatment and excess limb volume.Ethics and disseminationThe study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Maastricht University Medical Center (METC) on 19 December 2018 (NL67059.068.18). The results of this study will be disseminated in presentations at academic conferences, publications in peer-reviewed journals and other news media.Trial registration numberNCT02790021; Pre-results.

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