BREAST CELLULITIS FOLLOWING BREAST-CONSERVATION THERAPY - A NOVEL COMPLICATION OF MEDICAL PROGRESS

Breast cellulitis is a novel complication of the recently accepted pra ctice of breast conservation therapy. This phenomenon represents an an atomic shift from ipsilateral upper extremity cellulitis seen in past years when mastectomy with axillary lymph node dissection was performe d for treatment of limited disease due to breast cancer, Thirteen epis odes of breast cellulitis in nine women who underwent breast conservat ion therapy for stage I or II breast cancer are presented. The mean du ration from the end of radiotherapy to the initial episode of cellulit is was 4.9 months, Eighty-three percent of episodes occurred in patien ts who had radiologically demonstrated fluid collections at the surgic al lumpectomy site prior to the onset of cellulitis, Eight (61.5%) of 13 episodes occurred within 3 months of a follow-up mammogram of the t reated breast. Two patients developed recurrent cellulitis within a 6- month period, Breast cellulitis may be more commonly seen in clinical practice as an increasing number of patients undergo breast-sparing pr ocedures for treatment of limited disease due to cancer.