Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Breast radiotherapy and lymphedema

A G Meek1

  • 1Department of Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center, Stony Brook, New York 11794-7028, USA.

Cancer
|January 5, 1999
PubMed
Summary

Lymphedema is a concern after breast cancer radiotherapy, but its incidence is decreasing. Conservative surgery, careful radiotherapy, and managing risk factors like obesity can help prevent it.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

American Cancer Society Lymphedema Workshop. Workgroup I: Treatment of the axilla with surgery and radiation--preoperative and postoperative risk assessment.

Cancer·1999
Same author

A rapid colour stabilization technique for radiochromic film dosimetry.

Physics in medicine and biology·1998
Same author

Androgen induction of urokinase gene expression in LNCaP cells is dependent on their interaction with the extracellular matrix.

Cancer letters·1998
Same author

Impaired permeability in radiation-induced lung injury detected by technetium-99m-DTPA lung clearance.

Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine·1997
Same author

Effect of delayed radiation therapy on local control in breast conservation therapy.

Radiology·1996
Same author

Glucose metabolic changes in nontumoral brain tissue of patients with brain tumor following radiotherapy: a preliminary study.

Journal of computer assisted tomography·1996

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Radiation Oncology
  • Surgical Oncology

Background:

  • Lymphedema is the most common long-term complication of breast radiotherapy, impacting patient quality of life.
  • Despite decreasing incidence, lymphedema remains a significant concern in breast cancer management.
  • Broadening indications for radiotherapy necessitate improved strategies for preventing radiation-related lymphedema.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the literature on lymphedema as a complication of breast cancer radiotherapy.
  • To identify factors contributing to and strategies for preventing lymphedema after breast cancer treatment.

Main Methods:

  • A comprehensive literature review was conducted.
  • The review focused on studies addressing lymphedema following radiotherapy for breast carcinoma.

Main Results:

  • Radiotherapy contributes to arm and breast edema, particularly in patients with combined axillary radiotherapy and surgery.
  • Lymphedema incidence is decreasing due to more conservative axillary surgery and breast management.
  • Risk factors include obesity and soft tissue infections; single-modality axillary treatment shows very low arm edema rates.

Conclusions:

  • Lymphedema remains a challenge in breast cancer care, but its incidence can be reduced.
  • Conservative surgery, selective nodal radiotherapy, optimized radiotherapy techniques, infection management, and weight loss are key prevention strategies.
  • The benefits of radiotherapy in breast cancer treatment significantly outweigh the risks of lymphedema.

Related Experiment Videos