Skip Navigation


QJM Advance Access originally published online on April 8, 2005
QJM 2005 98(5):343-348; doi:10.1093/qjmed/hci053
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
98/5/343    most recent
hci053v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (21)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Clark, B.
Right arrow Articles by Harlow, W.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Clark, B.
Right arrow Articles by Harlow, W.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Association of Physicians. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oupjournals.org

Incidence and risk of arm oedema following treatment for breast cancer: a three-year follow-up study

B. Clark, J. Sitzia and W. Harlow

From the Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust, Worthing Hospital, UK

Address correspondence to Mr J. Sitzia, Head of Research, Worthing Hospital, Lyndhurst Road, Worthing, West Sussex BN11 2DH. e-mail: John.Sitzia{at}wash.nhs.uk

Received 23 September 2004 and in revised form 18 February 2005

Background: Breast-cancer-related lymphoedema is a chronic condition with estimates of incidence ranging from 6 to 83%. Lymphoedema has been associated with a variety of risk factors. However, this evidence has suffered from methodological weaknesses, and so has had little impact upon clinical practice.

Aim: To examine incidence and risk factors [hospital skin puncture, surgical procedure, Body Mass Index (BMI), age, axillary node status, number of axillary nodes removed, radiotherapy and surgery on dominant side] for breast cancer-related arm lymphoedema.

Design: Prospective observational study, with measurement of limbs pre-operatively and at regular intervals post-operatively.

Methods: We recruited 251 women who had surgical treatment for breast cancer that involved sampling, excision or biopsy of axillary nodes, aged ≥18 years, and free of advanced disease and psychological co-morbidities. Of these, 188 (74.9%) were available for 3-year follow-up.

Results: At follow-up, 39 (20.7%) had developed lymphoedema. Hospital skin puncture (vs. none) (RR 2.44, 95%CI 1.33–4.47), mastectomy (vs. wide local excision or lumpectomy) (RR 2.04, 95%CI 1.18–3.54), and BMI≥26 (vs. BMI 19–26) (RR 2.02, 95%CI 1.11–3.68) were the only significant risk factors.

Discussion: Lymphoedema remains a significant clinical problem, with 1:5 women in this sample developing the condition following treatment for breast cancer. Risk factors are identified in the development of lymphoedema that should be taken into account in clinical practice.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 JCOHome page
S. C. Hayes, M. Janda, B. Cornish, D. Battistutta, and B. Newman
Lymphedema After Breast Cancer: Incidence, Risk Factors, and Effect on Upper Body Function
J. Clin. Oncol., July 20, 2008; 26(21): 3536 - 3542.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.