Prevalência de linfedema em pacientes mastectomizadas atendidas em um hospital universitário do centro do estado do RS

Abstract

Treatment for breast cancer leads to a series of complications, the most prominent being lymphedema, which can cause physical and emotional changes in patients. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors for the development of lymphedema in patients attended at the outpatient clinic of a university hospital in a city in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul. This is a descriptive exploratory study, using perimetry, cone trunk volume formula and the Lymphedema Risk Calculator questionnaire to evaluate the prevalence and risks for the development of lymphedema to which patients submitted To mastectomy with lymphadenectomy. Data collection took place from December 2016 to April 2017. It was observed that the number of patients who presented lymphedema at the time of the evaluation is high when compared to the literature. Radiotherapy, chemotherapy, body mass index and breast reconstruction were not significantly associated with the development of lymphedema in this study. All the patients in this study underwent axillary dissection at the three levels, which is one of the factors that may have contributed to increase the incidence of lymphedema development risk in five years, together with radiotherapy in the axillary region. The factors that may have contributed to the high number of patients with lymphedema were mastectomy with lymphadenectomy as a surgical procedure, axillary dissection at the three levels and radiotherapy in the axillary region.