Lymphedema of the upper limb after surgery for breast cancer.

Radical mastectomy is followed by swelling of the arm, and although the number of surgeons employing the operation is decreasing, postmastectomy lymphedema continues to be a serious complication. In the present report based on 158 women who underwent modified radical (126) or simple (32) mastectomy and occasionally radiation for histologically proved adenocarcinoma of the breast, the pathogenesis and treatment of postmastectomy lymphedema are discussed. The following conclusions can be drawn: (1) The occurrence of postmastectomy lymphedema diminishes the less extensive the operation. (2) Mild lymphedema that develops early postoperatively tends to subside. (3) Conservative treatment in the majority of cases is effective in controlling postmastectomy lymphedema of a mild to moderate degree. (4) Modified radical mastectomy, which is as radical as Halsted's operation, is rarely followed by lymphedema.