Management of Lymphedema

ABSTRACT

Lymphedema is a frequent complication after the treatment of various cancers, particularly breast cancer, gynecological cancers, melanomas, and other skin and urological cancers. Lymphedema patients have chronic swelling of the affected extremity, recurrent infections, limited mobility and decreased quality of life. Once lymphedema develops, it is usually progressive. Over time, lymphedema leads to fat deposition and subsequent fibrosis of the surrounding tissues. However, there is no cure for lymphedema. Recently, the development of microsurgery has led to introduction of new surgical techniques for lymphedema, such as vascularized lymph node transfer. We report here the latest trends in the surgical treatment of lymphedema, as well as diagnosis and conventional treatments of lymphedema.