Risk of Lymphedema

Many women worry about "lymphedema"—swelling of the arm on the side of the breast affected by cancer, which may or may not be accompanied by numbness or discomfort. The truth is that usually lymphedema happens in only 5–10% of cases. The risk of lymphedema can approach the 25% level if you have the following combination of aggressive therapies:

• a full axillary dissection (levels I–III)
• radiation to the lymph node areas after surgery
• chemotherapy

The 25% risk level for lymphedema also applies to women who had an old-fashioned radical mastectomy (removal of nearly all of the lymph nodes surrounding the breast, in addition to removal of the breast and underlying muscles).

You can learn about how to minimize and manage lymphedema in our section on Arm Lymphedema.