Annals of surgery
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The purpose of this study was to examine the incidence of complications of breast cancer surgery in a multi-institutional, prospective, validated database and to identify preoperative risk factors that predispose to these complications. ⋯ Although complication rates in breast cancer surgery are low, wound infections remain the most common complication. A high body mass index and current tobacco use were the only independent risk factors for development of a postoperative wound infection across all procedures. This study highlights the benefit of a multi-institutional database in assessing risk factors for adverse outcomes in breast cancer surgery.