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Review
. 2014 Mar 7:7:28.
doi: 10.1186/1757-2215-7-28.

Lower extremity edema in patients with early ovarian cancer

Myong Cheol Lim  1 , Jeong Seon Lee, Byung Ho Nam, Sang-Soo Seo, Sokbom Kang, Sang-Yoon Park
Affiliations
Review

Lower extremity edema in patients with early ovarian cancer

Myong Cheol Lim et al. J Ovarian Res. .

Abstract

Background: The objective of this study was to investigate clinical manifestations of lower extremity edema (LEE) in early ovarian cancer.

Methods: Patients with early ovarian cancer who underwent staging surgery between January 2001 and December 2010. Medical records for LEE and/or responses to the Gynecologic Cancer Lymphedema Questionnaire (GCLQ) were evaluated.

Results: Patients had a median age of 46 years. Twenty-nine patients (40.8%) had past (13 patients, 44.8%) and/or current patient-reported LEE (16 patients, 55.2%). Symptoms reported on the GCLQ in over 20% of respondents were numbness, firmness/tightness, swelling, heaviness, limited movement of knee, and aching. GCLQ total symptoms score was significantly higher in patients with current LEE. Most of the LEE (25/29, 86.2%) developed within 12 months after surgery and LEE lasted more than 6 months in approximately two-thirds of the patients (18/29, 62.1%). Only half of the patients (52.1%) indicated knowledge of lymphedema: 86.2% of LEE patients and 28.6% of patients with no LEE.

Conclusions: Although a significant proportion of patients with ovarian cancer have LEE after surgery, most are not aware of lymphedema until they develop. Education and analyses for LEE and lymphedema are needed in patients with ovarian cancer.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart for identifying patient-reported lower extremity edema in early ovarian cancer.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Onset and duration of lower extremity edema in early ovarian cancer. One line is omitted because of obscure onset and duration in one patient.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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