Assessment of Postmastectomy Lymphedema and Current Treatment Approaches

Hulya Uzkeser

doi:10.29333/ejgm/82477

Full Text (PDF)

Hulya Uzkeser ¹ ^*

More Detail

¹ State Hospital, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Erzurum, Turkey^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

Lymphedema can be defined as the abnormal accumulation of protein-rich interstitial fluid that occurs primarly as a consequence of malformation or acquired distruption of the lymphatic circulation. Upper extremity lymphedema can develop in a significant proportion of patients after mastectomy. Currently, complex decongestive physical therapy is accepted as international standard treatment approach for the treatment of lymphedema. Complex decongestive physical therapy includes skin care, manual lymphatic drainage, compression bandage, compression garments, exercise and sometimes addition of intermittent pneumatic compression pump. When conservative treatments is not sufficient surgical intervention is an alternative to the patients. In this review, current treatment approaches are discussed.

Keywords

mastectomy
lymphedema
breast cancer
complex decongestive physical therapy

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Review Article

EUR J GEN MED, Volume 9, Issue 2, April 2012, 130-134

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/82477

Publication date: 10 Apr 2012

Article Views: 1534

Article Downloads: 3765

Open Access References How to cite this article

References

Szuba A, Achalu R, Rockson SG. Decongestive lymphatic therapy for patients with breast carcinoma-associated lymphedema. A randomized, prospective study of a role for adjunctive intermittent pneumatic compression. Cancer 2002;95:2260-7.
Brennan MJ, DePompolo RW, Garden FH. Focused review: postmastectomy lymphedema.. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 1996;77: S74-80.
Noguchi M. Axillary reverse mapping for breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2010;19:529-35.
Petrek JA, Pressman PI, Smith RA. Lymphedema: current issues in research and management. CA Cancer J Clin 2000;50:292-307.
Edwards TL. Prevalence and aetiology of lymphoedema after breast cancer treatment in southern Tasmania. Aust N Z J Surg 2000;70:412-8.
Schünemann H, Willich N. Lymphedema after breast carcinoma. A study of 5868 cases. Dtsch Med Wochenschr 1997;122:536-41.
Kocak Z, Overgaard J. Risk factors of arm lymphedema in breast cancer patients.. Acta Oncol 2000;39:389-92.
Ryttov N, Holm NV, Qvist N, Blichert-Toft M. Influence of adjuvant irradiation on the development of late arm lymphedema and impaired shoulder mobility after mastectomy for carcinoma of the breast. Acta Oncol 1988;27:667-70.
Delialioğlu SÜ, Aras MD, Yiğit Z. Lymphedema and treatment. Turkiye Klinikleri J Int Med Sci 2006;2:49-58.
Cheville AL, McGarvey CL, Petrek JA, Russo SA, Thiadens SR, Taylor ME. The grading of lymphedema in oncology clinical trials. Semin Radiat Oncol 2003;13: 214-25.
Aitken DR, Minton JP. Complications associated with mastectomy.. Surg Clin North Am 1983;63:1331-52.
Ardıç FFA, Yorgancıoğlu ZR. Breast cancer and rehabilitation issues. Turkiye Klinikleri J Int Med Sci 2006;2:39-48
Pain SJ, Purushotham AD. Lymphoedema following surgery for breast cancer. Br J Surg 2000;87:1128-41.
Szuba A, Rockson SG. Lymphedema: classification, diagnosis and therapy. Vasc Med 1998;3:145-56.
Kornblith AB, Herndon JE 2nd, Weiss RB, et al. Long-term adjustment of survivors of early-stage breast carcinoma, 20 years after adjuvant chemotherapy. Cancer 2003;98: 679-89.
Norman SA, Miller LT, Erikson HB, Norman MF, McCorkle R. Development and validation of a telephone questionnaire to characterize lymphedema in women treated for breast cancer. Phys Ther 2001;81:1192-205.
Armer JM, Radina ME, Porock D, Culbertson SD. Predicting breast cancer-related lymphedema using self-reported symptoms Nurs Res 2003;52:370-9
Sander AP, Hajer NM, Hemenway K, Miller AC. Upperextremity volume measurements in women with lymphedema: a comparison of measurements obtained via water displacement with geometrically determined volume Phys Ther 2002;82:1201-12.
Megens AM, Harris SR, Kim-Sing C, McKenzie DC. Measurement of upper extremity volume in women after axillary dissection for breast cancer. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2001;82:1639-44.
Meijer RS, Rietman JS, Geertzen JH, Bosmans JC, Dijkstra PU. Validity and intra- and interobserver reliability of an indirect volume measurements in patients with upper extremity lymphedema. Lymphology 2004;37:127-33.
Szuba A, Strauss W, Sirsikar SP, Rockson SG. Quantitative radionuclide lymphoscintigraphy predicts outcome of manual lymphatic therapy in breast cancer-related lymphedema of the upper extremity. Nucl Med Commun 2002;23:1171-5.
Mellor RH, Bush NL, Stanton AW, Bamber JC, Levick JR, Mortimer PS. Dual-frequency ultrasound examination of skin and subcutis thickness in breast cancer-related lymphedema. Breast J 2004;10:496-503.
Hayes S, Cornish B, Newman B. Comparison of methods to diagnose lymphoedema among breast cancer survivors: 6-month follow-up Breast Cancer Res Treat 2005;89:221-6.
Højris I, Andersen J, Overgaard M, Overgaard J. Late treatment-related morbidity in breast cancer patients randomized to postmastectomy radiotherapy and systemic treatment versus systemic treatment alone. Acta Oncol 2000;39:355-72.
Ramos SM, O'Donnell LS, Knight G. Edema volume, not timing, is the key to success in lymphedema treatment. Am J Surg 1999;178:311-5.
Gerber LH. A review of measures of lymphedema. Cancer 1998;83:2803-4.
Casley-Smith JR, Boris M, Weindorf S, Lasinski B. Treatment for lymphedema of the arm--the Casley-Smith method: a noninvasive method produces continued reduction. Cancer 1998;83:2843-60.
Földi E, Földi M, Weissleder H. Conservative treatment of lymphoedema of the limbs. Angiology 1985;36:171-180.
Földi M. Treatment of lymphedema. Lymphology 1994;27: 1-5.
Leduc O, Leduc A, Bourgeois P, Belgrado JP. The physical treatment of upper limb edema. Cancer 1998;83:2835-9.
Cheville AL, McGarvey CL, Petrek JA, Russo SA, Taylor ME, Thiadens SR. Lymphedema management. Semin Radiat Oncol 2003;13:290-301
Cohen SR, Payne DK, Tunkel RS. Lymphedema: strategies for management. Cancer 2001;92:980-7.
Stemmer R, Marescaux J, Furderer C. Compression therapy of the lower extremities particularly with compression stockings. Hautarzt 1980;31:355-65
Földi E. The treatment of lymphedema. Cancer 1998;83: 2833-34
Pappas CJ, O'Donnell TF Jr. Long-term results of compression treatment for lymphedema. J Vasc Surg 1992;16: 555-62
Dini D, Del Mastro L, Gozza A, et al. The role of pneumatic compression in the treatment of postmastectomy lymphedema. A randomized phase III study. Ann Oncol 1998;9:187-90.
Mortimer PS. Managing lymphoedema. Clin Exp Dermatol 1995;20:98-106.
Kissin MW, Querci della Rovere G, Easton D, Westbury G. Risk of lymphoedema following the treatment of breast cancer. Br J Surg 1986;73: 580-4.

How to cite this article

Vancouver

Uzkeser H. Assessment of Postmastectomy Lymphedema and Current Treatment Approaches. EUR J GEN MED. 2012;9(2):130-4. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/82477

APA

Uzkeser, H. (2012). Assessment of Postmastectomy Lymphedema and Current Treatment Approaches. European Journal of General Medicine, 9(2), 130-134. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/82477

AMA

Uzkeser H. Assessment of Postmastectomy Lymphedema and Current Treatment Approaches. EUR J GEN MED. 2012;9(2), 130-134. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/82477

Chicago

Uzkeser, Hulya. "Assessment of Postmastectomy Lymphedema and Current Treatment Approaches". European Journal of General Medicine 2012 9 no. 2 (2012): 130-134. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/82477

Harvard

Uzkeser, H. (2012). Assessment of Postmastectomy Lymphedema and Current Treatment Approaches. European Journal of General Medicine, 9(2), pp. 130-134. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/82477

MLA

Uzkeser, Hulya "Assessment of Postmastectomy Lymphedema and Current Treatment Approaches". European Journal of General Medicine, vol. 9, no. 2, 2012, pp. 130-134. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/82477

Electronic Journal of General Medicine

Abstract

Keywords

License