Predictors of Lymphedema Following Breast Cancer Surgery

Abstract

Surgery for breast cancer includes removal of the breast tumor along with axillarylymph nodes. Unfortunately, a relatively common side effect following axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) is upper-extremity lymphedema. The purpose of this study is to identify risk factors for lymphedema among women with breast cancer surgery. Specific aims include identifying risk factors for lymphedema and comparing quality of life (QOL) for women who have and do not have lymphedema. A casecontrol study will be conducted with 200 participants. Cases will be identified in the physical therapy or cancer centers. Controls will be identified using the oncology registry and include patients with breast cancer surgery who have not developed lymphedema. Risk factors and severity of lymphedema will be assessed with the Measure of Arm Symptom Survey (MASS), a patient-competed survey. QOL will be collected with the SF-36. Treatment risk factors will be obtained from the oncology registry. This study will determine which factors are important in lymphedema development.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 2006
Accession Number
ADA462856

Entities

People

  • Karen K. Swenson

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Biomedical Research
  • Breast Cancer
  • Data Analysis
  • Department Of Defense
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Health Services
  • Institutional Review Board
  • Lymph Nodes
  • Lymphatic System
  • Neoplasms
  • Physical Therapy
  • Quality Of Life
  • Risk Factors
  • Surveys
  • Therapy
  • Upper Extremity

Fields of Study

  • Medicine

Readers

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