Complications associated with implant-based reconstruction in breast cancer patients: A single-center cohort study, Tawam Hospital, Al-Ain, United Arab emirates

Background: The incidence of women undergoing implant-based reconstruction (IBR) after mastectomy for breast cancer is significantly increasing, for that reason, a better understanding of the factors that might increase risk of complications is essential to improve the quality of life of patients that need such types of intervention. In this study, the authors investigated the association between the development of complications following IBR and various possible risk factors. Method: The files of patient's cohort that consisted of 150 patients who underwent implant reconstruction were initially screened. Only 73 cases who attended the Breast Care Center in Tawam Hospital, Al Ain, UAE and were diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent therapeutic mastectomy with IBR in the period between 2015 and 2022 were included. Results: The authors' results showed implant infection (31.81%) and skin necrosis (27.27%) as the most important complications that appeared following IBR. Out of the 73 patients in our cohort, 12 patients (16.4%) required implant removal. Among several clinicopathological characteristics, our results showed a significant association between the incidence of complications and the type of implant. While 26.86% of patients with fixed-volume implants showed evidence of implant complications, patients who use tissue expanders suffered from complications in (80%) of the cases (P=0.047). Another important factor that showed a trend of association (P=0.06) was the use of radiotherapy. All other factors, including BMI, age, subtype, and chemotherapy, showed no significant association with the presence or absence of complications. Conclusions: The type of implant and radiotherapy treatment are the most important risk factors for implant-related complications after IBR.