Evaluation of Late Postural Complications in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Breast-Conserving Therapy in Relation to the Type of Axillary Intervention-Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of the study was to evaluate posture in patients undergoing breast-conserving therapy (BCT) in relation to the type of surgical intervention to the axilla. Methods: The study was conducted on patients who had undergone breast-conserving surgical treatment for breast cancer 5–6 years earlier. In 54 patients, BCT+ALND (axillary lymph node dissection) was performed, while 63 patients were subjected to BCT+SLND (sentinel lymph node dissection). The control group consisted of 54 females. The study was conducted using digital postural assessment. Results: No statistically significant differences were observed with respect to the parameters between the BCT+SLNB and BCT+ALND groups (p > 0.05). However, the differences were highly significant between the CG (control group) and the studied groups (BCT+ALND, BCT+SLNB) for the following parameters: BETA angle of thoracolumbar spine inclination (p = 0.002), GAMMA angle of thoracic spine inclination (p = 0.0044), TKA (thoracic kyphosis angle) (p < 0.0001) and shoulder level inclination (p = 0.0004). The BCT+ALND patients were characterized by higher dependency of raised shoulder (p = 0.0028) and inferior angle of the scapula (p = 0.00018) on the operated side compared to BCT+SLNB patients. Conclusions: Postural imbalance occurs independent of the type of axillary intervention. Disturbances within the upper torso (abnormal position of shoulders and inferior angles of scapulae) are more pronounced in patients after ALND.