The impact of breast-conserving surgery and modified radical mastectomy on postoperative wound complications in patients with early breast cancer

In recent years, breast conservation surgery (BCS) and modified radical mastectomy (MRM) have been widely used in the treatment of early-stage breast cancer. However, the effects of complications from these two surgical methods are still unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of BCS and MRM on postoperative wound complications in patients with early breast cancer. Eighty-eight patients with early breast cancer were randomly divided into BCS group (n = 46) and MRM group (n = 42). The occurrence of postoperative wound complications was compared between the two groups. The results showed that BCS patients had significantly lower intraoperative surgical times, blood losses, incision lengths, drainage volumes, drainage times and lengths of hospital stays than their MRM counterparts (p < 0.05). The overall incidence of postoperative wound complications in the BCS group was significantly lower than that in the MRM group at 1 month after surgery, but the difference was not statistically significant (p < 0.001). The rate of excellent breast cosmetic outcome was significantly higher in the BCS group than in the MRM group (p < 0.001). Compared to MRM, BCS has a lower incidence of intraoperative and postoperative wound complications, better cosmetic outcomes and higher clinical value in the treatment of early-stage breast cancer.