Prevalence of Lymphedema in Valle Del Cauca, Colombia.

CONTEXT: Breast cancer-associated lymphedema is considered one of the most frequent side effects of breast cancer therapy. (1,2) Despite the abundant information available worldwide on epidemiology and risk factors, little is known about these data in Colombia and Latin America.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the actual prevalence and incidence of risk factors for the development of lymphedema associated with breast cancer in a specialised oncology centre in Valle del Cauca, Colombia.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: Between 2008 and 2020 a sample of 367 patients with a diagnosis of unilateral breast cancer was established, with which a descriptive study was carried out, in which a series of anthropometric measurements were taken of the upper limbs in order to obtain the volume of both arms and determine the prevalence of lymphedema using the formula of truncated volumes of the Spanish society of lymphology, after which the medical records were reviewed in order to collect other data of interest. Patients were excluded if they had bilateral breast cancer or direct trauma to the upper limb.

INTERVENTIONS: A single intervention was carried out in which the patients were summoned for an interview and anthropometric measurements of the upper limbs, thus calculating the arm volume for a lymphedema primary diagnosis .