Repeated Seroma post lumpectomy

Hello Mervat,

Thanks for getting in touch. My name is Karen and I am one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the Macmillan Support Line.  

It’s understandable that you are worried but there are some common effects after breast surgery, including swelling and fluid collecting around the wound (seroma). This normally occurs under the arm or in the breast or chest wall and is usually reabsorbed by the body over time. Sometimes a seroma will refill after it has been aspirated (drained) so it may need to be aspirated several times over a few weeks before it goes away completely.

 You are quite right, it is important to be aware and look out for any signs of infection

• The wound feels tender, swollen, or warm to the touch.
• Redness in the area
• Continued fluid (discharge) from the wound
• Feeling generally unwell with a raised temperature

With any new, ongoing, or worsening symptoms we always advise that you contact your hospital team. We would encourage you to contact your breast care nurse or hospital team straight away, today. A doctor or nurse will need to assess if you need further drainage and if you need a course of antibiotics if they think you have an infection or at risk of getting an infection. A wound infection can happen at any time after the surgery until your wound is completely healed.

If you don’t have a contact number for your breast care nurse, you can contact the hospital switchboard and they can put you through to them or your consultant’s secretary. If there is an answerphone, please do leave a message for them to call you back today and give the symptoms you are having, including your contact details. If you are unable to get through or they don’t call you back, we advise you to contact your GP or NHS 111 today.

Having treatment for breast cancer can be a worrying time. If it would be helpful in future to speak to one of the nurses on the support line, please don’t hesitate to give us a call.

You may want to have a look at the Breast Cancer Forum on the Macmillan Online Community. This can be a source of support and information and where you can share experiences with other people who have a breast cancer diagnosis.

I hope this information is helpful. If you have any further questions, the Macmillan Support Line offers practical, clinical, financial, and emotional support.

Best wishes

Karen, Cancer Information Nurse Specialist 

You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email. 

Ref/KHe/SH

Dear Karen. Thank you very much for the valuable information. I have contacted the hospital and I will be seen tomorrow for assessment. Thanks for pointing me out to the forum. I am new to this so was not sure where to post my question. Best. Mervat 

Update: I saw one of my surgeons at the hospital today. While he confirmed that there is fluid in the breast near the scar, he suggested that it’s better not to extract it this time because it is likely to continue to refill  each time they extract the fluid. So we agreed to leave it for now unless it becomes more painful or discomfortable.