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1-16-10.mp3

Lymphedema is debilitating and common after breast cancer surgery. Good news today: a study suggests that early physical therapy may prevent lymphedema after breast surgery.

I personally have seen lymphedema take place many months or even years after a breast surgery (particularly lymph node dissections and even sentinel lymph node biopsies). Treatment modalities like sequential compression devices, exercise, sleeves, gauntlets, and massage all help, but there is no quick fix for this problem.

Lymphedema is debilitating and common after breast cancer surgery. Good news today: a study suggests that early physical therapy may prevent lymphedema after breast surgery.

A very significant (to oncologists) cohort study has been updated and ten year followup is now available on 1 259 patients with lymph node biopsies during breast cancer surgery. The idea is to discover the significance of lymph nodes with less than the traditional metastatic disease. We are now able to diagnose lymph nodes with micrometastases or isolated tumor cells and the question has remained: what is the significance of these findings?