[Secondary malignant lymphedema in head and neck tumors]

The occurrence of edema is a serious problem of patients suffering from cancer and may have various causes. Particularly, the secondary malignant lymphedema poses a special threat to patients. In some cases, it indicates the progression of illness, and in fact also results in mutilating physical changes, which add to the already existing impairments caused by the cancer disease. So far therapeutic interventions are limited. Current management consists of physical therapy and pharmacological interventions. There are few powerful studies concerning the efficiency and hardly any concerning combined or comparative treatment in the literature. Most of them focus on the management of lymphedema in breast cancer patients. Preventive measures and supportive therapy are rarely being discussed. In this case report, we describe the successful use of Selen and Sandostatin in treating a facial edema of a patient with advanced head-neck cancer.