Abstract
Background: Breast cancer-related lymphedema is usually characterized by edema of the affected the ipsilateral upper limb and trunk. We report a case of aggravated primary lymphedema in the contralateral limb and trunk after breast cancer resection and axillary lymph node dissection.Case presentation: A 63-year-old female developed right thorax-back and upper limb swelling since childhood. After the modified mastectomy, the swelling of her right chest, back and upper limb increased. While she had no edema of left torso and limb. There was no relevant supplementary examination data because she refused to take lymphoscintigraphy or MRI scan. However, according to her medical history and physical examination, she was preliminarily diagnosed as primary lymphedema, International Society of lymphedema stage 2.Conclusions: Primary lymphedema and secondary lymphedema may be both results of the interaction of multiple factors and can be induced or aggravated by trauma, surgery or other reasons besides the abnormal lymphatic development of individuals.
Aggravated Primary Lymphedema of Contralateral Upper Limb after the Radical Mastectomy: A Case Report
