Second only to the recurrence of cancer, it is the most dreaded effect of breast cancer treatment. In a new study, University of Missouri researchers found that the risk of developing lymphedema is 40 percent to 60 percent higher in women with body mass index (BMI) classified as overweight or obese compared to normal weight women. The researchers recommend increased health education for breast cancer survivors.

"Breast cancer survivors with high BMIs will benefit from education focused on maintaining optimal BMI and lymphedema risk reduction practices," said Jane Armer, professor in the Sinclair School of Nursing and director of nursing research at the Ellis Fischel Cancer Center. "Overweight women have the greatest risk of developing lymphedema and should be monitored closely for changes in symptoms and limb volume, especially those who have cancer treatment to the dominant side or experience post-operation swelling."

Based on the analysis, lymphedema is a risk for approximately two-thirds of breast cancer survivors in the 30 months after surgery. Breast cancer survivors who develop post-op swelling have a significantly higher risk (40 percent) of developing lymphedema. According to Armer, patients with high BMIs who experience post-op swelling or were affected by cancer on their dominant side have the highest risk of developing lymphedema. MU researchers found that comparing BMI and limb volume measurements can help clinicians better detect lymphedema.

"Diagnosing post-breast cancer lymphedema can be difficult because of inconsistent measurement approaches and standards of measurement reliability and validity," Armer said. "Pre-op limb volume measurement is an essential reference for post-op volume comparison and detection of post-op swelling. Clinicians should consider using a 5 percent limb volume change (LVC) approach (beyond change in BMI) as a more sensitive estimation of post-breast cancer lymphedema."

missouri/

The researchers discovered the MACC1 gene by comparing tissue from healthy persons with tissue from 103 patients with colon cancer between 20 to 88 years of age. Sixty (60) cancer patients had no metastasis at the time they underwent surgery.

Of these 60 patients, 37 had no metastasis five years after surgery and treatment. These patients were shown to have had low levels of MACC1 when first diagnosed with colon cancer. In contrast, 23 patients had developed metastasis in the course of five years after surgery. Researchers detected high levels of MACC1 in their colon cancer tissue. Thus, patients with high MACC1 levels have a much higher risk for developing metastasis than patients with a MACC1 gene that is not very active.

The researchers are convinced that MACC1 will enable physicians to decide if a patient needs a more intense therapy or if a less aggressive treatment is sufficient. "The expression analysis of MACC1 in the original tumor tissue will probably contribute to individualize and optimize colon cancer therapy", they assume.

Now the MDC and Charite researchers and their colleagues want to find out if the MACC1 gene also allows for a more precise prediction about the outcome of lung cancer, breast cancer, and stomach cancer.

helmholtz.de/en/index.html