Lymphedema after gynaecological cancer How can it be prevented? How can it be managed?

Lymphedema is an inflammatory condition caused by the accumulation of lymphatic fluid following damage to the lymphatic system, after cancer treatment and particularly after lymph node dissection.

The prevalence of lymphedema remains significantly underestimated. Too few affected patients receive treatment

The possibility of effective prevention through early treatment of lymphedema should encourage practitioners to pay more attention to edema and treat it in order to prevent the chronicity of edema initially considered common

Given the considerable psychosocial and physical burdens associated with more advanced stages, early detection of cancer-related lymphedema is essential to minimize disease progression

And to further encourage practitioners to integrate the management of lymphedema into their daily practice, we provide a brief reminder through this article which focuses particularly on cancer-related lymphedema, which can develop weeks, months or years after oncological treatments, presenting risk factors, anamnesis and physical examination to make a clinical diagnosis, as well as the management of this problem.