Posted 4/22/2013 by hhill
Lymphedema can be an intractable problem. Although most women with breast cancer do not ever develop this problem (thankfully), those who do quickly find that it never can be cured. Yes, there are treatments, and, yes, it waxes and wanes, but it is a chronic problem. It is pretty impossible to get accurate statistics on the incidence of lymphedema. Depending on who you ask, the number seems to fluctuate wildly, and many surgeons insist that "this never happens to my patients." This, of course, is just not true, and the development of lymphedema is not a negative reflection on the surgeon's skills.
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