Closed Incision Negative Pressure Therapy in Oncoplastic Surgery Prevents Delays to Adjuvant Therapy

Abstract

Background: Breast reductions, including oncoplastic breast surgery (OBS), have high postoperative wound healing complication (WHC) rates, ranging from 17% to 63%, thus posing a potential delay in the onset of adjuvant therapy. Incision management with closed incision negative pressure therapy (ciNPT) effectively reduces postoperative complications in other indications. This retrospective analysis compares postoperative outcomes and delays in adjuvant therapy in patients who received ciNPT on the cancer breast versus standard of care (SOC) after oncoplastic breast reduction and mastopexy post lumpectomy. Methods: Patient demographics, ciNPT use, postoperative complication rates, and time to adjuvant therapy were analyzed from the records of 150 patients (ciNPT = 29, SOC = 121). Propensity score matching was used to match patients based on age, body mass index, diabetes, tobacco use, and prior breast surgery. Results: In the matched cohort, the overall complication rate of ciNPT-treated cancerous breasts was 10.3% (3/29) compared with 31% (9/29) in SOC-treated cancerous breasts (P = 0.096). Compared with the SOC-treated cancerous breasts, the ciNPT breasts had lower skin necrosis rates [1/29 (3.4%) versus 6/29 (20.7%); P = 0.091] and dehiscence rates [0/29 (0%) versus 8/29 (27.6%); P = 0.004]. In the unmatched cohort, the total number of ciNPT patients who had a delay in adjuvant therapy was lower compared to the SOC group (0% versus 22.5%, respectively; P = 0.007). Conclusion: Use of ciNPT following oncoplastic breast reduction effectively lowered postoperative wound healing complication rates and, most importantly, decreased delays to adjuvant therapy.

Oncoplastic surgery in the USA: a review of where we started, where we are today and where we are headed

“…A study by Kapadia et al found in the complication group, time to receipt of radiation was 74 days when compared to the non-complication group of 54 days (P<0.01) ( 51 ). Recent studies have demonstrated lower rates of postoperative wound complications with the utilization of closed incision negative pressure therapy, with decreased rates of skin necrosis, and dehiscence to aid in improving these delays to adjuvant radiation ( 52 ). This illustrates the need for appropriate preoperative evaluation and optimization with careful patient selection.…”