Can I have hand surgery on same side as radical mastectomy

Posted by finger @finger, Dec 4, 2022

I had a radical mastectomy 38 years ago on my left side. Now I am scheduled for trigger finger surgery on my left side tomorrow. What risks am I taking?

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Amanda Roe | @amandajro | Dec 4, 2022

Hello @finger and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I found this article below that may not perfectly align with your question, but does bring up there being some lymph considerations for same-side surgery.

- Hand surgery after axillary lymph node clearance for breast cancer: contra-indication to surgery?: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3229347/

Has your doctor been made aware of your mastectomy and is he/she comfortable performing the surgery? Did you all talk about any risks leading up to surgery?

finger | @finger | Dec 5, 2022

Thanks for the reply. I will call the dr. this morning to find out if she is aware of the mastectomy and if she has any concerns with it. The issue was never discussed at our pre-op meeting.

Chris, Volunteer Mentor | @auntieoakley | Dec 5, 2022

I had a partial and axillary node and I am also considering a trigger finger surgery, I will anxiously wait to hear what your doctor says. I haven’t been in a hurry due to other big responsibilities right now, but the shots didn’t work. I am very careful about that hand, I kind of wonder about the chicken or the egg. Did lymphedema, contribute to the risk of trigger finger? I hear a lot about trigger fingers in breast cancer, but I am afraid the answers are above my pay grade. Lol.
I am hoping your surgery goes well, will you come back and let me know how this goes for you?

finger | @finger | Dec 6, 2022

My doctor said there would be no problem doing the surgery. I had it yesterday. Was prescribed pain pills which I needed. Today the finger is quite swollen and I feel a bit weak but I think everything will be fine. Good luck with your surgery.

Ingegerd Enscoe, Alumni Mentor | @astaingegerdm | Dec 6, 2022

@finger
Congratulations on successful surgery!
I also had hand surgery on same side as mastectomy. I had fractured a finger.
I had discussed it with my oncologist before surgery and informed the surgeon.
All went well.
@auntieoakley - I hope you will do well too.

annie65 | @annie65 | Dec 7, 2022

I had surgery on both wrists for inflamation in my thumbs just a few years after my double masectomy. Everything went well and I had no negative reaction to the surgeries. And my problem was solved.