November 28, 2007 – According to British researchers, obesity may play a role in lymphedema cases associated with breast cancer treatment. Weight loss would help relieve this condition in obese women who have it, they add.
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An unrecognized condition |
The team at the Royal Marsden National Health Service Foundation Trust in London conducted two preliminary clinical trials1.2 in 85 obese women suffering from lymphedema of the arm following treatment for breast cancer. According to the results, dieting would reduce the swelling in the arm caused by lymphedema.
Weight loss should now be an integral part of lymphedema treatment in patients with a body mass index of 26 or more, believe London nutritionists.
What is lymphedema?
During surgery or radiotherapy treatments for certain cancers, lymph nodes responsible for filtering lymph – a transparent liquid whose role is to clean body tissue – are eliminated.
But since the flow of lymph does not decrease, it accumulates and the affected limb begins to swell. This is called lymphedema.
The only known effective treatment for this condition is combination decongestant therapy.3. This technique includes manual lymphatic drainage, the application of compression bandages, decongestant exercises, wearing a suitable compression garment and adopting preventive behaviors.
Pierre Lefrançois – PasseportSanté.net
According to Reuters Health.
1. Shaw C, Mortimer P, Judd PA. Randomized controlled trial comparing a low-fat diet with a weight-reduction diet in breast cancer-related lymphedema. Cancer. 2007 May 15; 109 (10): 1949-56.
2. Shaw C, Mortimer P, Judd PA. A randomized controlled trial of weight reduction as a treatment for breast cancer-related lymphedema. Cancer. 2007 Oct 15; 110 (8): 1868-74.
3. On this subject, see our short story “Lymphedema can be treated”, claim two specialists.
