Note: The women in this study were assessed at the Clinical Research Center at the UCSF Medical Center at Mt. Zion, one of eight clinical sites in the Bay Area managed by CTSI's Clinical Research Services program.
By Elizabeth Fernandez via UCSF.edu
A new UC San Francisco study has found a clear association between certain genes and the development of lymphedema, a painful and chronic condition that often occurs after breast cancer surgery and some other cancer treatments.
The researchers also learned that the risks of developing lymphedema increased significantly for women who had more advanced breast cancer at the time of diagnosis, more lymph nodes removed or a significantly higher body mass index.
The study is the first to evaluate genetic predictors of lymphedema in a large group of women using a type of technology, bioimpedance spectroscopy, to measure increases in fluid in the arm. Bioimpedance spectroscopy is a noninvasive procedure that allows one to measure body composition including an increase in fluid in an arm or a leg.
The study, which involved some 400 women who were tracked over four to five years, will be published online on April 16 in PLOS ONE.
Read more at UCSF.edu