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Updated: May 2, 2026
Ultrasonographic Evaluation of Breast Cancer-related Lymphedema
Published on: January 12, 2017
Breast cancer related lymphedema and shoulder mobility following radiotherapy
Tamara Jarm1, Nikola Besic1,2, Romi Cencelj Arnez1,2
1Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Purpose:
Lymphedema of the arm and reduced shoulder mobility are common complications of breast cancer treatment. We aim to establish whether the radiation dose received by the area of the axillary lateral thoracic artery vessel juncture (ALTJ) and the shoulder joint-affect the development of the mentioned side effects.
Methods:
In this retrospective study, 298 patients with early breast cancer treated surgically and with adjuvant radiation therapy, were included. Clinical data from the prospective database were used. Physiotherapists evaluated lymphedema and shoulder mobility at diagnosis, 6 and 12 months afterwards. The ALTJ, humeral head, and humeral head with a safety margin were delineated on a CT scan, and irradiation parameters were obtained from dose-volume histograms.
Results:
Multivariate analysis confirmed a correlation between higher mean (Dmean) and near-minimum (D98) radiation doses received by ALTJ and the incidence of lymphedema 12 months post-diagnosis (p = 0.016 and p = 0.002, respectively). No significant association was found between the radiation dose to the humeral head and reduced mobility.
Conclusion:
In our cohort of patients, irradiation of the ALTJ region is associated with the occurrence of clinically-assessed lymphedema, while irradiation of the humeral head is not linked to limited mobility of the shoulder after breast cancer treatment.
