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A member asked:
I know that some women have arm swelling after breast cancer surgery. why?
A doctor has provided 1 answer
Lymphedema: The arm swelling you are describing occurs secondary to disruption of the lymphatic circulation draining the arm, either via lymph node removal and/or radiation therapy. When we used to remove 10-20 lymph nodes, the lifetime incidence was ~25%. Nowadays, with sentinel lymph node biopsy alone, the risk is closer to 5%. Hopefully, in the future we won't have to remove any lymph nodes.
Answered 9/4/2014
5.8k views
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