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Lymphedema — disfiguring, potentially disabling, and considered incurable — is a feared complication of breast cancer treatment. Australian investigators used bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) to detect lymphedema in 287 breast cancer survivors who received diagnoses in 2002. BIS, which measures the impedance of extracellular fluid, is considered a more reliable indicator of lymphedema than is arm circumference. From 6 to 18 months after surgery, lymphedema status and self-reported upper-body symptoms (pain, tingling, weakness, stiffness, poor range of motion, and numbness) were assessed every 3 months; complete data were available for 158 women (mean age, 54).
At 18 months after surgery, more than 30% of participants had evidence of lymphedem…