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Basic Anatomy and Physiology for Patients with Lymphedema Run time: 80 minutes |
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Memorial Sloan-Kettering doctors are focusing on several crucial quality-of-life issues in breast cancer survivors, including:
- lymphedema
- premature menopause after cancer treatment
- sexual health after breast cancer treatment
Lymphedema
Some breast cancer patients who had lymph nodes removed from under the arm during surgery or who were treated with radiation therapy can develop lymphedema (a swelling of the arm caused by fluid accumulation). Sentinel lymph node biopsy, an advance in the management of early-stage breast cancer, can help avoid this complication. Other factors can affect a person's risk for developing lymphedema, however, and a significant number of breast cancer survivors still suffer from severe lymphedema at some point.
Clinical studies at Memorial Sloan-Kettering have shown that patients who suffer from arm infections or injuries requiring antibiotics, or who gain weight -- especially after their diagnosis -- are at increased risk for developing lymphedema.
Our Integrative Medicine Service offers a six-week course, "Focus on Healing (Through Movement)," which includes therapeutic exercises to improve your range of motion and enhance your physical and psychological well-being. The Integrative Medicine Service offers other courses, including t'ai chi, yoga, and relaxation techniques, which may help breast cancer survivors manage some of the other potential effects of treatment such as pain and fatigue.
Premature Menopause
Some breast cancer treatments can cause the early onset of menopausal symptoms -- irregular periods, hot flashes, drying or thinning of vaginal tissues or the bladder, loss of interest in sex, insomnia and fatigue, and memory problems.
