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Article: Study links arm/hand swelling to number of lymph nodes removed during breast cancer surgery.
- Article from:
- Women's Health Weekly
- Article date:
- May 14, 2009
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In older breast cancer survivors, the number of lymph nodes removed during surgery and the presence of cancer in the lymph nodes were the two factors most directly linked to the development of lymphedema, swelling of the arm and hand, according to a study from the Medical College of Wisconsin's Center for Patient Care and Outcomes Research in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (see also Medical College of Wisconsin).
"Lymphedema causes physical discomfort and disability, as well as a cosmetic deformity which can lead to anxiety, depression and emotional distress that can affect a woman's activities of daily living and quality of life," says lead author Tina Yen, M.D., M.S., a ...