Factors associated with morbidity of totally implantable venous access device in patients with breast cancer

Achoimre

Background/aim: To investigate the possible morbidities associated with the implantation of a totally implantable venous access device (TIVAD) in breast cancer (BC) patients.Materials and methods: Clinical data and developed complications in 546 BC patients with TIVAD between 2017 and 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. Among these patients, 524 (96.0%) patients who underwent TIVAD implantation via the right subclavian vein (SCV) route were examined separately.Results: The mean patient age was 56.1±11.4 years, and the mean patient body mass index was 25.3±6.5. The incidence of early complications was 2.3% (12 cases), and late complications were 2.6% (14 cases). Among these complications, 10 (1.9%) catheter-related infections developed more common than others. Early complications increased as the number of puncture attempts did and decreased with ultrasound guidance in the implantation, but no other predictive factors. There was no correlation between the patient's age, body mass index, BC side, puncture method, puncture number, surgical approach, radiotherapy, and late complications. There was no evidence that postoperative effects specific to BC surgery, such as increased pain, decreased functional capacity, and lymphedema, are altered with TIVAD implantation. For catheter-related infections only, adjuvant radiotherapy was a risk factor for patients with various comorbidities.Conclusion: This study may conclude that the right SCV approach remains a morbidity-safe route for TIVAD implantation in BC patients, as in other malignancies. The study can only suggest clinicians use another implantation route to avoid catheter-related infection in patients scheduled for neoadjuvant treatment, who also have morbidity and are likely to receive postoperative radiotherapy.