Key clinical point: Several preoperative and postoperative factors predict the risk for arm lymphedema in patients who undergo breast cancer (BC) surgery.
Major finding: Young age (<60 years; P < .001), high body mass index (P < .001), advanced preoperative T and N classifications (P ≤ .01), total mastectomy (P < .001), axillary dissection (P < .001), and collagen disease (P = .024) were the preoperative risk factors for lymphedema. Postoperative bleeding (P = .017), chemotherapy (P < .001), and radiotherapy (P < .001) were among the postoperative risk factors for lymphedema.
Study details: Findings are from a nationwide retrospective cohort study including 84,022 women who underwent BC surgery, of which 1547 patients received treatments for lymphedema.
Disclosures: This work was supported by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan, and other sources. N Michihata declared serving as an employee at The University of Tokyo.
Source: Konishi T et al. Risk factors for arm lymphedema following breast cancer surgery: A Japanese nationwide database study of 84,022 patients. Breast Cancer. 2022 (Aug 23). Doi: 10.1007/s12282-022-01395-5.