Table 1.
Clinical characteristics and treatments of the 200 patients in the study
| Characteristic | Number of patients (%) |
|---|---|
| Age (years) |
|
| Mean age |
53 ± 11 |
| <50 |
75 (37.5) |
| ≥50 |
125 (62.5) |
| Dominant arm |
|
| Right |
188 (94) |
| Left |
12 (6) |
| Surgery - evaluation interval |
|
| Mean time (months) |
35 ± 18 |
| <36 |
112 (56) |
| ≥36 |
88 (44) |
| Radiation therapy |
|
| Yes |
190 (95) |
| No |
10 (5) |
| Chemotherapy |
|
| Yes |
192 (96) |
| No |
8 (4) |
| Surgery |
|
| Mastectomy |
35 (17.5) |
| Conservative surgery |
165 (82.5) |
| Dissected axilla |
|
| Right |
94 (47) |
| Left |
106 (53) |
| Surgery in the dominant arm |
|
| Yes |
94 (47) |
| No |
106 (53) |
| Incision for axillary dissection |
|
| The same as the breast’s |
122 (61) |
| Separate |
78 (39) |
| Status of lymph nodes |
|
| At least one metastatic |
103 (51.5) |
| Absence of metastases |
97 (48.5) |
| Lymph nodes with metastases (103) |
|
| Mean positive lymph nodes |
5 ± 5 |
| <5 |
63 (61.1) |
| ≥5 |
40 (38.8) |
| Dissected lymph nodes |
|
| Mean dissected lymph nodes |
14 ± 4 |
| <10 |
35 (17.5) |
| ≥10 |
165 (82.5) |
| Postoperative seroma |
|
| Yes |
20 (10) |
| No |
180 (90) |
| Postoperative hematoma |
|
| Yes |
10 (5) |
| No |
190 (95) |
| Postoperative infection |
|
| Yes |
9 (4.5) |
| No | 191 (95.5) |