WEDNESDAY, Aug. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Patients recovering from
breast cancer surgery have a greater chance of avoiding a painful and
debilitating post-surgery condition if they get a little extra
information, a study has found.

Lymphedema is a condition that causes a debilitating swelling of the
extremities following breast cancer surgery. Symptoms also include pain,
fatigue, numbness and reduced limb mobility. Patients with lymphedema are
predisposed to other complications such as fibrosis, cellulitis,
infections and septicemia.

About 30 percent of the 2.4 million U.S. breast cancer survivors have
developed lymphedema, and all are at risk for the rest of their lives,
according to background information in a news release from the New York
University Langone Medical Center.

But there are things that patients can do to reduce the risk, including
elevating the affected limb to promote fluid drainage, avoiding blood
draws and injections in the affected limb and shunning tight clothing,
which can aggravate symptoms, experts say.

Those who get additional information about lymphedema reported fewer
symptoms and practiced more risk-reducing behaviors, according to a recent
study.

"It is important to identify the early warning signs and symptoms of
the condition, as well as determine what interventions to take," said
study co-author Dr. Deborah Axelrod, an associate professor in the
department of surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center and a member of the
NYU Cancer Institute, in the news release. "We also enroll patients into
ongoing behavior and risk modification trials and work with physical
therapists to ensure symptom reduction."

Co-author Mei R. Fu said this is the first study to show that education
can reduce risk of lymphedema.

"Nurses can play a leadership role in educating patients about
lymphedema and can play a role in improving the quality of life in cancer
survivors," Fu, assistant professor in the College of Nursing at New York
University, stated in the news release.

More information

The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more information on lymphedema.