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Gynecological Cancer Therapy | Risk Factors for Lower Extremity Lymphedema

Purpose: To identify a woman at risk for lower limb lymphedema following therapy for a gynecologic cancer based on the study of Beesley et al.

Description

Beesley et al identified risk factors for lymphedema of the lower extremities in women following therapy for gynecological cancer. These can help identify women who may require closer monitoring and more aggressive management. The authors are from the Queensland University of Technology, University of Queensland, and Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital in Australia.


 

Types of cancer considered:

(1) cervical

(2) uterine

(3) ovarian

(4) vulvar

 

Risk factors:

(1) external beam radiotherapy with or without brachytherapy

(2) lymph node dissection

(3) overweight or obese

Risk Factor

Cervical

Uterine

Ovarian

radiation

yes

 

 

lymph node dissection

yes

yes

yes

overweight

 

yes (risk greater if obese)

yes

 

where:

• Taking out 1 or 2 lymph nodes is unlikely to interfere with the lymphatic drainage very much.

 

The number of patients with vulvar cancer was too low to identify risk factors. However, 36% of patients developed lymphedema, which was significantly higher than any other group.

 


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Specialty

Objective

ICD-10