Occurrence of axillary web syndrome without surgical intervention: a case report

Abstract

Axillary web syndrome (AWS) is characterized by the formation of cords in the axilla. Classically, it develops after surgical biopsy or removal of axillary lymph nodes for breast cancer. It can cause a limited range of motion and may contribute to abnormal shoulder movements or patterns that can cause pain. In this report, an atypical case of AWS presented in a 38-year-old male after physical activity but with no surgical history or breast cancer. This case report highlights that AWS can appear in healthy individuals with no history of breast cancer and/or surgical intervention. It also emphasizes the need to consider AWS in clinical practice as a differential diagnosis of painful shoulder movement and restricted range of motion.

A Case of Axillary Web Syndrome Caused by Venous Blood Sampling

“…As for AWS's etiology, three cases were idiopathic AWS with no known cause [18,20,26]. Moreover, four cases were reported as possibly induced after physical activity or trauma [17,21,25,27], and the possibility of lymphatic involvement due to physical activity or trauma was mentioned. The physical activities were squash sports, jumping rope, and supporting one's weight with one's arms.…”

“…Herein, we report a rare case of AWS after venous blood sampling in a patient without a history of axillary surgery. To the best of our knowledge, reports of AWS without direct invasion, such as postoperative breast cancer surgery, sentinel node dissection, or sentinel node biopsy, are rare, with only twelve cases reported in PubMed [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]. The cases were summarized on 20 May 2023 by searching the keywords 'Axillary Web Syndrome' in PubMed.…”