title: Worldwide first experiences with vacuum-assisted closure as alternative treatment method to repair defects of an extended thoracic wall recurrence of breast cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Loco-regional recurrences of the breast cancer are associated with a bad prognosis. Often costly autologous-tissue treatment as a surgery aiming at repairing the defects is necessary.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four female patients were treated with the vacuum-assisted closure (VAC)-system in context with the recurrence resection. In all cases a primary local masking was not possible.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the described cases the wounds healed well during the post-operative phase. There occurred no problems either during the radiation treatment or during chemotherapy in the case of lying VAC-Systems.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using vacuum-assisted wound closure one can avoid autologous-tissue treatment in the case of extensive loco-regional recurrences.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Ludwig-Maximillians-University Hospital, Munich, Germany. darius.dian@med.uni-muenchen.de
authors.forename: Darius
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dian
authors.forename: Vera
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bodungen
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Himsl
authors.forename: Visnja
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Drinovac
authors.forename: Ioannes
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mylonas
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sommer
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Friese
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D054843:Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000601:surgery*; D035441:Thoracic Wall / Q000601:surgery*