Clinical Breast Session
AB042. SOH26AB_0125. Incidence, contributing factors, and reversal of arm lymphoedema following a lymphoedema early detection service for breast cancer patients
Sinead Cobbe1, Kathy Nugent1, Kay Morris2, Shirley Real3, Shirin Moghaddam4, Kevin Moroney4, Geethu Padinjasseril Uday4, Amanda Clifford5, Michelle Walsh6, Laura Byrne6, Mags Sullivan6, Chwanrow Baban6, Shona Tormey6, Juliette Buckley6, Roshni Kalachand7, Lorraine Walsh8, Anne Merrigan6
1Department of Physiotherapy, University Hospital Limerick, Limerick, Ireland;
2National Lymphoedema Service, St. Brigid’s Hospital, Ballinasloe, Ireland;
3Department of Health and Social Care Professions (HSCP), Mid-West University Hospital Limerick, Limerick, Ireland;
4Department of Mathematics and Statistics (MACSI), University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland;
5Department of Health Sciences, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland;
6Symptomatic Breast Unit, University Hospital Limerick, Limerick, Ireland;
7Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital Limerick, Limerick, Ireland;
8Midwest Radiation Oncology Centre, Mater Private Group, Limerick, Ireland
Background: Breast cancer-related arm lymphoedema (BCRL) has an overall incidence of 20%. Early detection and management are essential to reduce the chances of developing and reverse BCRL. The study aimed to identify the incidence of BCRL and risk factors contributing to it in patients attending a lymphoedema early detection (LED) programme.
Methods: Prospective cohort study included 174 breast cancer patients referred to LED after sentinel node biopsy (SNB) or axillary node clearance (ANC). Bio-impedance spectroscopy was assessed at pre-operative and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. Patients received education on risk-reduction and were treated by a physiotherapist if BCRL occurred. Data were analysed using R; logistic regression established independent predictive factors, and a nomogram was developed to predict occurrence.
Results: A total of 121 eligible individuals completed the programme (69.5%). Clinical or subclinical BCRL developed in 16 patients (13.2%), including 14 (31%) of ANC population (n=42). Independent predictive factors were ANC (P=0.001), obesity (P=0.02), and higher pre-operative bio-impedance scores (P=0.002). Reversal of BCRL occurred in 10 patients (62.5% of 16 cases), leaving 0 (0%) with clinical BCRL and 6 subclinical cases (4.9% of total population) at 1 year post-operative. No individual having SNB had lasting BCRL once post-operative complications resolved.
Conclusions: This LED programme resulted in low rates of clinical and subclinical BCRL. SNB was found to be a low-risk procedure, and patients do not require routine monitoring. ANC confers a high risk for developing BCRL, and patients benefit from monitoring and early intervention.
Keywords: Breast cancer; early detection; lymphoedema; physiotherapy; prevention
Acknowledgments
None.
Funding: None.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Ethical Statement: The authors are accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
Open Access Statement: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits the non-commercial replication and distribution of the article with the strict proviso that no changes or edits are made and the original work is properly cited (including links to both the formal publication through the relevant DOI and the license). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.
doi: 10.21037/map-26-ab042
Cite this abstract as: Cobbe S, Nugent K, Morris K, Real S, Moghaddam S, Moroney K, Uday GP, Clifford A, Walsh M, Byrne L, Sullivan M, Baban C, Tormey S, Buckley J, Kalachand R, Walsh L, Merrigan A. AB042. SOH26AB_0125. Incidence, contributing factors, and reversal of arm lymphoedema following a lymphoedema early detection service for breast cancer patients. Mesentery Peritoneum 2026;10:AB042.
