Fax: (301) 295-9076.
Original Article
Preoperative assessment enables the early diagnosis and successful treatment of lymphedema†‡
Article first published online: 21 APR 2008
DOI: 10.1002/cncr.23494
Copyright © 2008 American Cancer Society
Additional Information
How to Cite
Stout Gergich, N. L., Pfalzer, L. A., McGarvey, C., Springer, B., Gerber, L. H. and Soballe, P. (2008), Preoperative assessment enables the early diagnosis and successful treatment of lymphedema. Cancer, 112: 2809–2819. doi: 10.1002/cncr.23494
- †
The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Navy, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.
- ‡
This article is a US government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.
Publication History
- Issue published online: 4 JUN 2008
- Article first published online: 21 APR 2008
- Manuscript Accepted: 11 FEB 2008
- Manuscript Revised: 30 JAN 2008
- Manuscript Received: 20 DEC 2007
Funded by
- National Naval Medical Center
- National Naval Medical Center [NNMC]. Grant Number: Protocol NNMC B01-052
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center
- Rehabilitation Medicine Department, Physical Therapy Section. Grant Number: Protocol NIH 02-CC-0044)
REFERENCES
- 1,,,,. Lymphedema and quality of life in survivors of early-stage breast cancer. Arch Surg. 2002; 137: 1253–1257.
- 2,,,. Impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions 6 and 12 months after breast cancer operation. J Rehabil Med. 2005; 37: 180–188.
- 3,,,,,. Lymphoedema and reduced shoulder function as indicators of quality of life after axillary lymph node dissection for invasive breast cancer. Br J Surg. 2003; 90: 76–81.Direct Link:
- 4,. Incidence of breast carcinoma-related lymphedema. Cancer. 1998; 83(12 suppl A ): 2776–2781.Direct Link:
- 5,,,,. Lymphedema following breast cancer treatment, including sentinel lymph node biopsy. Lymphology. 2004; 37: 73–91.
- 6,,,,,. Chronic arm morbidity after curative breast cancer treatment: prevalence and impact on quality of life. JClin Oncol. 2002; 20: 4242–4248.
- 7,,,,,. Improving surgical outcomes: standardizing the reporting of incidence and severity of acute lymphedema after sentinel lymph node biopsy and axillary lymph node dissection. Am J Surg. 2006; 192: 636–639.
- 8,,,. The consequences of long-time arm morbidity in node-negative breast cancer patients with sentinel node biopsy or axillary clearance. J Surg Oncol. 2005; 92: 23–31.Direct Link:
- 9,,. Incidence and risk of arm oedema following treatment for breast cancer: a three-year follow-up study. QJM. 2005; 98: 343–348.
- 10,,, et al. Morbidity of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLN) alone versus SLN and completion axillary lymph node dissection after breast cancer surgery: a prospective Swiss multicenter study on 659 patients. Ann Surg. 2007; 245: 452–461.
- 11,,,,. Factors associated with the development of arm lymphedema following breast cancer treatment: a match pair case-control study. Lymphology. 2002; 35: 59–71.
- 12,,,. Lymphedema following axillary lymph node dissection for breast cancer. Surg Oncol. 2006; 15: 153–165.
- 13,,, et al. Breast cancer-related lymphedema–what are the significant predictors and how they affect the severity of lymphedema? Breast J. 2006; 12: 536–543.Direct Link:
- 14,,,,. The epidemiology of arm and hand swelling in premenopausal breast cancer survivors. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2007; 16: 775–782.
- 15
- 16
- 17,,. The lymphedema chaos: a lancet. Ann Plast Surg. 1989; 22: 505–515.
- 18. Alterations of untreated lymphedema and it's grades over time. Lymphology. 1995; 28: 174–185.
- 19. Skin changes in lymphoedema: pathophysiology and management options. Int J Palliat Nurs. 2001; 7: 381–388.
- 20
- 21,,,. Concurrent validity of upper-extremity volume estimates: comparison of calculated volume derived from girth measurements and water displacement volume. Phys Ther. 2003; 83: 134–145.
- 22,,,,. Validation of an optoelectronic limb volumeter (Perometer). Lymphology. 1997; 30: 77–97.
- 23,,,,. A new technique for the quantification of peripheral edema with application in both unilateral and bilateral cases. Angiology. 2002; 53: 41–47.
- 24. Trends in the evaluation of lymphedema. Lymphology. 2002; 35: 28–38.
- 25,,,. Upper-extremity volume measurements in women with lymphedema: a comparison of measurements obtained via water displacement with geometrically determined volume. Phys Ther. 2002; 82: 1201–1212.
- 26,,,,. Validity and intra- and interobserver reliability of an indirect volume measurements in patients with upper extremity lymphedema. Lymphology. 2004; 37: 127–133.
- 27,,,,. Reliability and validity of arm volume measurements for assessment of lymphedema. Phys Ther. 2006; 86: 205–214.
- 28. Measuring and representing peripheral oedema and its alterations. Lymphology. 1994; 27: 56–70.
- 29,,. Comparison of methods to diagnose lymphoedema among breast cancer survivors: 6-month follow-up. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2005; 89: 221–226.
- 30,,,. Morbidity following sentinel lymph node biopsy versus axillary lymph node dissection for patients with breast carcinoma. Cancer. 2000; 88: 608–614.Direct Link:
- 31. The problem of post-breast cancer lymphedema: impact and measurement issues. Cancer Invest. 2005; 23: 76–83.
- 32,. Prevention and management of arm lymphedema in the patient with breast cancer. J Support Oncol. 2006; 4: 381–386.
- 33,. Early arm swelling after breast surgery: changes on both sides. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2007; 101: 105–112.
- 34,,, et al. Surgical outcomes after breast cancer surgery: measuring acute lymphedema. J Surg Res. 2001; 95: 147–151.
- 35
- 36. Volumetry of limbs. In: OlszewskiWL, ed. Lymph Stasis: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis and Treatment. Boca Raton, Fla: CRC Press; 1991: 443–451.
- 37,,,,. [Objective measurement of lymphedema after mastectomy]. Dtsch Med Wochenschr. 1985; 110: 949–952.
- 38,,. Edema volume, not timing, is the key to success in lymphedema treatment. Am J Surg. 1999; 178: 311–315.
- 39
- 40. Changes in the microcirculation at the superficial and deeper levels in lymphoedema: the effects and results of massage, compression, exercise and benzopyrones on these levels during treatment. Clin Hemorheol Microcirc. 2000; 23: 335–343.
- 41,,,. Low intensity resistance exercise for breast cancer patients with arm lymphedema with or without compression sleeve. Lymphology. 2005; 38: 167–180.
- 42,,, et al. Treatment-related upper limb morbidity 1 year after sentinel lymph node biopsy or axillary lymph node dissection for stage I or II breast cancer. Ann Surg Oncol. 2004; 11: 1018–1024.
- 43,,, et al. Post-operative arm morbidity and quality of life. Results of the ALMANAC randomised trial comparing sentinel node biopsy with standard axillary treatment in the management of patients with early breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2006: 95: 279–293.
- 44,,,. Physiotherapy after breast cancer surgery: results of a randomised controlled study to minimise lymphoedema. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2002; 75: 51–64.
- 45,,, et al. Early diagnosis of lymphedema using multiple frequency bioimpedance. Lymphology. 2001; 34: 2–11.
- 46
- 47,,,,. Knowledge of lymphoedema among primary health care teams: a questionnaire survey. Br J Gen Pract. 1996; 46: 607–608.
- 48,,,,,. The grading of lymphedema in oncology clinical trials. Semin Radiat Oncol. 2003; 13: 214–225.
- 49,,,,. Development and validation of a telephone questionnaire to characterize lymphedema in women treated for breast cancer. Phys Ther. 2001; 81: 1192–1205.
- 50,,,. The importance of volumetry, lymphscintigraphy and computer tomography in the diagnosis of brachial edema after mastectomy. Lymphology. 1988; 21: 134–143.
- 51,,,. Volumetric evaluation of upper extremities in 250 healthy persons. Clin Physiol Funct Imaging. 2007; 27: 17–22.Direct Link:
- 52. Treatment of postmastectomy lymphedema. Mod Treat. 1969; 6: 396–412.
- 53,,, et al. Measures of late effects in conservative treatment of breast cancer with standard or hypofractionated radiotherapy. Tumori. 2004; 90: 586–591.
- 54,,,,,. Increasing the rate of late toxicity by changing the score? A comparison of RTOG/EORTC and LENT/SOMA scores. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2003; 55: 1013–1018.
- 55International Society of Lymphology. The diagnosis and treatment of peripheral lymphedema. Consensus document of the International Society of Lymphology. Lymphology. 2003; 36: 84–91.
- 56. Contemporary issues in management of chronic lymphedema: personal reflection on an experience with 1065 patients. Lymphology. 2005; 38: 28–31.
- 57,,,,. Assessing task “burden” of daily activities requiring upper body function among women following breast cancer treatment. Support Care Cancer. 2005; 13: 255–265.
- 58,,. Lymphedema: strategies for management. Cancer. 2001; 92(4 suppl ): 980–987.Direct Link:
- 59,,,,,. Lymphedema management. Semin Radiat Oncol. 2003; 13: 290–301.
- 60,,,. The treatment of lymphedema related to breast cancer: a systematic review and evidence summary. Support Care Cancer. 2004; 12: 421–431.
- 61. The treatment of lymphedema. Cancer. 1998; 83(12 suppl A ): 2833–2834.Direct Link:
- 62,,,. Effective treatment of lymphedema of the extremities. Arch Surg. 1998; 133: 452–458.
- 63,,. Prospective trial of complete decongestive therapy for upper extremity lymphedema after breast cancer therapy. Cancer J. 2004; 10: 42–48.
- 64,,. Persistence of lymphedema reduction after noninvasive complex lymphedema therapy. Oncology (Williston Park). 1997; 11: 99–109.
- 65,. Overview of treatment options and review of the current role and use of compression garments, intermittent pumps, and exercise in the management of lymphedema. Cancer. 1998; 83(12 suppl A ): 2821–2827.Direct Link:
- 66,,,. Treatment of postmastectomy lymphedema with low-level laser therapy: a double blind, placebo-controlled trial. Cancer. 2003; 98: 1114–1122.Direct Link:
- 67,,, et al. Biomechanical evaluation of scapular girdle in patients with chronic arm lymphedema. Lymphology. 2006; 39: 132–140.
- 68,,,. Lymphedema in a cohort of breast carcinoma survivors 20 years after diagnosis. Cancer. 2001; 92: 1368–1377.Direct Link:

1097-0142/asset/olbannerleft.gif?v=1&s=ca681f5719430b26e1bc15e9ea4c9fc0a7110104)
1097-0142/asset/olbannerright.gif?v=1&s=8142566facf7e76aef9be6c51162a2e920b3b9f9)
1097-0142/asset/cover.gif?v=1&s=a7299bc18f075294c232ade468773cd0672bd470)