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Lymphoedema Following Surgery For Breast Cancer, Jacqueline Lord

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Lymphoedema of the ipsilateral upper limb is one of the most significant long term complications of the surgical treatment of breast cancer and may be described as a life sentence of bodily disfigurement. The resultant cosmetic disfigurement, physical discomfort and reduced physical mobility combined with the psychological sequelae, far exceeds the original expectations of the breast surgery patient (Tobin, Lacey, Meyer, and Mortimer, 1993). It is estimated that one hundred thousand women in Australia have developed lymphoedema (or will develop it before they die) as a result of mastectomy and radiotherapy alone (Casley-Smith, 1992). In breast cancer patients, lymphoedema can …