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Chronic upper-extremity lymphedema after mastectomy is associated with excess risk for cutaneous angiosarcoma in the affected limb. Case reports suggest lymphedema also is associated with excess risk for other skin cancers (e.g., squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, melanoma). In this retrospective cohort study, Mayo Clinic researchers determined whether patients with lower-extremity lymphedema had greater risk for skin cancer than did patients without lymphedema. The study period was 2000 through 2020.
About 4400 patients with lower-extremity lymphedema (mean age, 62) were compared with 4400 controls, matched for age, race, and sex. Skin cancers were more likely to develop in the lymphedema group than in the control group (90 vs. …