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Postmastectomy oedema

Authoring team

Oedema of the arm may complicate any surgery or radiotherapy that disturbs the axillary lymph nodes.

The time course of the oedema is predictive of the cause:

  • within 1-2 weeks - axillary vein thrombosis
  • within 1-2 months and progressing rapidly - constriction of the axillary vein by scar tissue or lymphatic obstruction
  • months or years later - recurrent carcinoma in the lymph nodes

Reference

  1. Bernas M et al. Etiology and treatment of cancer-related secondary lymphedema. Clin Exp Metastasis. 2024 Aug;41(4):525-548.

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