Early Detection of Lymphedema After Cancer Treatments

Many clinical situations in oncologic surgery imply the need to dissect more or less extensively lymph node stations which are in direct relation with the lymphatic drainage of the anatomical region affected by cancer. The dissected lymph nodes drain generally several regions, and their dissection reduces then the drainage capacity of all these regions, increasing the risk for the patient to develop a secondary lymphedema, shorter or longer after surgery. Efficient treatments exist, but are difficult to implement and to continue for a long time.The later the treatment of the lymphedema begins, the heavier it is, both on the medical and socio-economic level. The lymphofluoroscopy, shows that some oncologic patients, operated and free of apparent secondary lymphedema, present abnormalities of the lymphatic network. The present study aims to confirm that it is now possible to detect secondary lymphedema at a subclinical stage.