BACKGROUND Over 1.1 billion people worldwide are at risk for lymphatic filariasis (LF), and the global burden of LF-associated lymphedema is estimated at 16 million affected people, yet country-specific estimates are poor. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS A house-to-house morbidity census was conducted to assess the burden and severity of lymphedema in a population of 1,298,576 persons living i...

Lymphedema is a disorder of the lymphatic vascular system characterized by impaired lymphatic return and swelling of the extremities. Lymphedema is divided into primary and secondary forms based on the underlying etiology. Despite substantial advances in both surgical and conservative techniques, therapeutic options for the management of lymphedema are limited. Although rarely lethal, lymphedem...

PURPOSE Secondary lymphedema is a frequent complication of breast cancer associated with surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation following breast cancer treatment. The potential contribution of genetic susceptibility to risk of developing secondary lymphedema following surgical trauma, radiation, and other tissue insults has not been studied. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN To determine whether women with br...

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES to assess the role of education sources and objective risk status on knowledge and practice of lymphedema risk-minimization behaviors among women recently diagnosed with breast cancer. RESEARCH APPROACH prospective survey. SETTING a hospital in Sydney, Australia. PARTICIPANTS 106 women recently diagnosed with breast cancer at increased risk for developing lymphedema fol...

Lymphedema, a common complication of cancer treatment, is characterized by inflammation, fibrosis, and adipose deposition. We have previously shown that macrophage infiltration is increased in mouse models of lymphedema. Because macrophages are regulators of lymphangiogenesis and fibrosis, this study aimed to determine the role of these cells in lymphedema using depletion experiments. Matched b...

Lymphedema is the accumulation of protein-rich fluid that occurs when the ability of the lymphatic system to transport interstitial fluid is exceeded. This devastating disorder affects an estimated 3 to 5 million Americans and a staggering 140 to 200 million people worldwide. In the United States and Western countries, lymphedema occurs most commonly as a complication of lymph node dissection f...

Suday, O cber 8, 2017 INTRODUCTION: The vascularized lymph node transfer (VLNT) is one of the flap of choices for lower extremity lymphedema. Although physical rehabilitation is important for lymphedema treatment, there is no standardized procedure for different stage lymphedema. This study was conducted to investigate the long term outcome using VLNT and complete decongestive therapy (CDT) in ...

BACKGROUND Lymphedema may disrupt local function and affect quality of life (QOL) in patients with head and neck cancer. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations among severity of internal and external lymphedema, symptoms, functional status, and QOL in patients with head and neck cancer. METHODS The sample included 103 patients who were ≥ 3 months after head and neck cancer ...

Post-mastectomy chronic lymphedema as a complication of breast cancer treatment is primarily managed with Complete Decongestive Therapy (CDT). We examined various factors for correlating with results of Phase I CDT treatment in controlling the upper extremity lymphedema. Study population consisted of patients with lymphedema referred to the Lymphedema Clinic of the Iranian Breast Cancer Researc...

OBJECTIVE Lymphedema is one of the most debilitating outcomes of breast cancer treatment. We aimed to compare the demographic and clinical characteristics of breast cancer patients with and without lymphedema, to assess risk factors for lymphedema, and to evaluate treatment outcomes in lymphedema patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS Demographic and clinical characteristics of 84 women with previou...