Surg Oncol Clin N Am 2023 Oct 25;32(4):705-724. Epub 2023 Jun 25.
Breast Service, Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 300 East 66th Street, New York, NY 10065, USA. Electronic address:
In the setting where breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) remains a feared and common complication of breast cancer, here we review important factors for the development, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of BCRL. We find that race/ethnicity affect BCRL development risk, that future studies should focus on understanding the biological reasons behind the increased susceptibility of certain racial minorities to BCRL, that surveillance, early detection, exercise programs, and arm compression can reduce the risk of BCRL, and that surgical techniques to preserve and restore lymphatic drainage being evaluated in randomized trials may become transformative in reducing BCRL risk for high-risk patients. Read More