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WASHINGTON (AP) Hospitals in about a dozen states are testing whether some simple steps, such as arm-strengthening exercises, could reduce the risk of one of breast cancer's troubling legacies the painful and sometimes severe arm swelling called lymphedema. Lymphedema has long been a neglected side effect of cancer surgery and radiation: Many women say they never were warned, even though spotting this problem early improves outcomes.
And while less invasive surgical techniques mean fewer breast cancer patients today than just a few years ago should face lymphedema, it's a lingering threat for tens of thousands of survivors because it can strike two decades after their tumor was treated.
"I have ladies tell me the lymphedema is much worse than their cancer because the cancer's cured," says Dr. Electra Paskett, an epidemiologist at Ohio State University who is leading the first-of-its-kind research into possible protective steps.
Among them: Wearing elastic sleeves to counter temporary swelling during things like airplane flight or heavy lifting, and doing special exercises with light weights designed to help keep open the lymph channels that allow fluid to drain through the body.
"The theory is building up muscles in your arm acts as a natural pneumatic pump to move the fluid," explains Paskett, herself a breast cancer survivor who developed lymphedema.
When lymph nodes under a breast cancer patient's arm are removed or damaged by biopsy, surgery or radiation, lymph fluid can build up and cause anything from mild swelling to a ballooning of the arm.
Results aren't due until 2012. Meanwhile, cancer groups advise:
_Be alert for subtle swelling. Don't ignore a tight ring or watch, or clothes suddenly not fitting.
_See a certified lymphedema specialist, who has proper training in fitting compression garments and proper use of decongestive therapy. Improper use of either can worsen the condition.
_Obesity and arm injuries are additional risk factors. So watch your weight; avoid injections in the affected arm; clean cuts and seek care for infections promptly; wear gardening gloves and oven mitts; and avoid temperature extremes, such as hot tubs.
Study info: http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/CALGB-70305#ContactInfo_CDR0000494652
National Lymphedema Network: http://www.lymphnet.org
And while less invasive surgical techniques mean fewer breast cancer patients today than just a few years ago should face lymphedema, it's a lingering threat for tens of thousands of survivors because it can strike two decades after their tumor was treated.
"I have ladies tell me the lymphedema is much worse than their cancer because the cancer's cured," says Dr. Electra Paskett, an epidemiologist at Ohio State University who is leading the first-of-its-kind research into possible protective steps.
Among them: Wearing elastic sleeves to counter temporary swelling during things like airplane flight or heavy lifting, and doing special exercises with light weights designed to help keep open the lymph channels that allow fluid to drain through the body.
"The theory is building up muscles in your arm acts as a natural pneumatic pump to move the fluid," explains Paskett, herself a breast cancer survivor who developed lymphedema.
When lymph nodes under a breast cancer patient's arm are removed or damaged by biopsy, surgery or radiation, lymph fluid can build up and cause anything from mild swelling to a ballooning of the arm.
Results aren't due until 2012. Meanwhile, cancer groups advise:
_Be alert for subtle swelling. Don't ignore a tight ring or watch, or clothes suddenly not fitting.
_See a certified lymphedema specialist, who has proper training in fitting compression garments and proper use of decongestive therapy. Improper use of either can worsen the condition.
_Obesity and arm injuries are additional risk factors. So watch your weight; avoid injections in the affected arm; clean cuts and seek care for infections promptly; wear gardening gloves and oven mitts; and avoid temperature extremes, such as hot tubs.
Study info: http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/CALGB-70305#ContactInfo_CDR0000494652
National Lymphedema Network: http://www.lymphnet.org
