04/03/2024
Well it’s starting… World Lymphoedema Awareness Week (LAW). This week, after years, it is really gaining momentum. For LTA and me, it means the years of working within the field are paying off. More, but not enough people, have heard of the word LYMPHOEDEMA, and know that it can occur after breast cancer, but it’s so much more than that!
Lymphoedema is an accumulation of fluid in the skin, usually an arm or leg but also affects the breast, or trunk, the ge****ls or the head and neck. Usually, it occurs following cancer surgery or treatment, but you can also be born with it or it develops later in life and is due to a genetical abnormality. Just a tiny bit of altered DNA creating a catastrophic malfunction of the development lymphatic system. The lymphatic system drains all fluid that reaches the tissues, so if it doesn't work properly, or is underdeveloped or damaged, the fluid will stay in the tissue of that area. An increase in tissue fluid and inflammation occurs leading to skin changes, such as thickening, and this
build-up of proteins often increases the risk of infections. It is important to
remember that the lymphatic system, is also the immune system and fights infection, so when its malfunctioning, infections can start.
The fluid drains to lymph nodes which produce lymphocytes and other immune cells that fight infection. Here cancer cells can get trapped, which is why they often need to be removed (or radiated) when cancer is present, leading full circle to the development of lymphoedema in 7-20% of breast cancer patients or 20-40% of people flowing gynae surgery.
This very simple overview (we do courses which are 100's of hours long!) helps us understand how complex lymphoedema is and it's associated treatment and management- 'till next time...
