Psychosocial Impact of Lymphoedema After Breast Surgery

Abstract Lymphoedema (LE) secondary to cancer is the side effect of cancer treatments and may appear on breast cancer (BC) survivors’ upper limb post-surgery. Several symptoms other than swelling have been reported. LE onset adversely affects the emotional and psychological state of BC survivors, leading to anxiety, depression, body image issues and altered psychological quality of life (QoL). In sufficient informational support, physical limitations, compression garments, LE symptoms and age are associated with the emotional and psychological sequelae. Social impact of LE, such as social confidence, job security and sexuality and relationship with partners, has also been reported. The visibility of LE, its association with BC and compression garments are associated with LE-related social sequelae. Several studies aiming at both LE prevention and QoL improvement have been conducted. However, their efficacy, especially in minimising psychosocial sequelae among BC survivors with LE, remains to be confirmed.
Source: Current Breast Cancer Reports - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research