Analysis of Risk Factors Affecting the Development of Seromas Following Breast Cancer Surgeries

This study aimed to determine the effects of demographic, clinical, and therapeutic variables on the development of seromas following breast cancer surgeries. We investigated the relationship between seroma formation and factors such as age, type of surgery, tumor size, presence of axillary lymph nodes and lymph node metastases, number of lymph nodes removed, type of surgical equipment used, drainage duration, drainage flow rate, and whether neoadjuvant chemotherapy was received in patients who underwent surgery between 2000 and 2005. The mean age of the 119 patients included in the study was 53.13 ± 13.26 years. Seromas were observed in 17 (14.28%) patients. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that a drainage flow rate greater than 50 mL/day after 48 hours post-surgery was significantly associated with seroma formation (p = 0.007), while other investigated variables showed no association. We conclude that a drainage flow rate exceeding 50 mL/day after 48 hours is a predictive factor for seroma formation in breast cancer patients, suggesting that drainage should not be terminated until this threshold is reached.