Why is Lymphedema Detected So Late in Breast Cancer?
Kandance P. McGuire, MD, FACS, breaks down what lymphedema is and why it may be detected later.
Lymphedema is the swelling of somewhere within the body. Many patients with breast cancer who receive either radiation or removal of lymph nodes will experience lymphedema.
At the VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, the use of bioimpedance spectroscopy is now occurring during intake to catch lymphedema at its earliest stages. When it is detected early, patients will be referred to rehabilitation services where the lymphedema can be stabilized or reversed.
CancerNetwork® spoke with Kandance P. McGuire, MD, FACS, interim senior vice president of the Cancer Service Line and chief of breast surgery at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center. She discussed how lymphedema typically presents and breaks down how it may occur.
Transcript:
If we want to break it down into the simplest terms, it is swelling of an extremity or swelling somewhere within the body, and that is due to lymphatic obstruction. Beyond the circulatory system, we have the lymphatic system that collects fluid from the extracellular fluid in the body and then dumps it into the vascular system. Normally, it works incredibly well. Some patients, whether it’s a primary lymphedema, meaning it happens just because, and it’s probably idiopathic, or it’s due to some form of an injury, whether it’s a lymph node dissection, radiation, anything along those lines, it obstructs the lymphatics, and wherever it obstructs those lymphatics, you are going to experience swelling within that limb. The reason it can be delayed is that it takes some time for those changes to occur. Especially when we are talking about lymphedema associated with breast cancer surgery, even something as small as a sentinel lymph node biopsy can cause some damage in that area, and then the additive effect of radiation can also cause some obstruction, and then over time, that minute amount of obstruction will cause symptoms. For some patients, that will happen sooner, but for many patients, it can happen months to years down the road.
Reference
VCU Massey now offers new technology for early detection of lymphedema. News release. December 8, 2025. Accessed December 23, 2025. https://tinyurl.com/2ktfzf5k
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