Can you let me know how many patients get lymphedema from having lymphnodes removed when cancer spread?

Low: Depends on where the lymph nodes are being removed. Full axillary lymph node surgery has a 10% or less chance of lymphedema. Full axillary lymph node surgery is not as common any more. Groin lymph node dissection could also rarely cause leg lymphedema.

Less-and-Less Now: Lymphedema secondary to breast cancer surgery is more related to the number of lymph nodes removed +/- radiation to the armpit rather than the presence or absence of cancer within the nodes. When a traditional axillary dissection is performed, the risk is app. 25%. This rate is <5% if only a few nodes are removed, as we often do with sentinel lymph node biopsy.