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Good news for lymphedema patients?

Page last modified on: August 25, 2008

Question from MsMadelyn: Reading this could leave someone facing lymphedema (or its possibility) feeling a little hopeless and helpless. So is there any good news about improvements in the future through research or improved methods?: Answers —Kathryn Schmitz, Ph.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S.M.: There's already been good news. The first good news is that we're no longer ripping all the underarm nodes out of women. There was a time, less than 10 years ago, when it was common to remove all of the nodes under the arm, and the rate of lymphedema was higher. So already, we've cut the rate of lymphedema in half or more by the introduction of sentinel lymph node surgery. There has been a lot of recent research that will clarify that women do not need to be as restricted as previously thought in their activities if they have lymphedema.; Nicole Gergich, M.P.T., C.L.T.-L.A.N.A. : We're also training more and more therapists every year to become more specialized in lymphedema management, and those therapists are telling the world the fact that there is treatment available for lymphedema. A decade ago we used to tell women they had to live with lymphedema, and we have novel interventions today.; Jennifer Sabol, M.D., F.A.C.S.: I have to say from a surgery standpoint, I've seen dramatic decreases again with the rate of lymphedema thanks to sentinel node biopsies. But one of the best improvements I've seen is the acknowledgment by the physical therapists we're using that it's not a question of trying to limit someone's activity so this doesn't happen. I now see more therapists asking their patients what they want to do in their life, such as water-skiing or climbing a mountain, and then finding innovative ways to help them get there.

On Wednesday, April 16, 2008, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Preventing and Treating Arm Lymphedema. Kathryn Schmitz, Ph.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S.M.,Nicole Stout Gergich, M.P.T. C.L.T.-L.A.N.A., and moderator Jennifer Sabol, M.D., F.A.S.C. answered your questions about ways to prevent and manage lymphedema.

The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.

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Meet the Experts

Kathryn Schmitz, Ph.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S.M. is assistant professor in the Division of Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania and adjunct associate professor in the Division of Epidemiology at the University of Minnesota.

Nicole Stout Gergich, M.P.T., C.L.T.-L.A.N.A.

Nicole Stout Gergich M.P.T., C.L.T.-L.A.N.A. is a physical therapist and lymphedema specialist at the Breast Care Center at the National Naval Medical Center. She is also the president of the Oncology Section of the American Physical Therapy Association, and has previously served on the Medical Advisory Board and research committee for the National Lymphedema Network.

Jennifer Sabol, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a breast surgeon who directs the newly developed Breast Care Center at Lankenau Hospital in Wynnewood, Pa. Among her many interests, Dr. Sabol spearheads several research initiatives to advance the care for women with breast cancer and improve methods of breast cancer detection and treatment.