Shoulder Disability and Late Symptoms Following Oncoplastic Breast Surgery

Breast cancer affects a large proportion of Danish women and late morbidity following breast cancer treatment including pain, reduced motility and force of the arm and shoulder, disturbed sensitivity, and lymph edema affects many patients. The risk for such late complications have previously been carefully described by us and others in patients operated by traditional methods, but the follow-up in most of these studies have been rather short , and long time follow-up results are not available. The impact of the new oncoplastic techniques that allows more women to have breast conserving surgery is not known yet. These operations are more extensive and therefore might be accompanied by more complications. The purpose of this study is to give answer to that question.The study includes three parts. First a questionnaire to patients who have breast conserving surgery performed in one of the three breast units in Central Region Denmark. It contains questions regarding arm morbidity, quality of life, comorbidity, and body image. The questionnaire should be filled in preoperatively and 18 months after surgery. The second part consists of an objective evaluation of shoulder and arm function and cosmesis before and after breast conserving surgery with and without oncoplastic techniques. This should be performed at baseline before surgery and 18 months later. The third part is a long time follow-up of patients after breast conserving surgery without oncoplastic techniques. This group of patients is recruited from three breast units in Central Region Denmark. It contains questions regarding arm morbidity, quality of life, comorbidity, and body image. The questionnaire should be filled in preoperatively and 18 months after surgery. The second part consists of an objective evaluation of shoulder and arm function and cosmesis before and after breast conserving surgery with and without oncoplastic techniques. This should be performed at baseline before surgery and 18 months later. The third part is a long time follow-up of patients after breast conserving surgery without oncoplastic techniques. This group of patients is recruited from the cohort in a previous study with 18 months follow-up following breast conserving surgery without oncoplastic technique.