St. Luke’s-Global City launches lymphedema service

St.  Luke’s Medical Center-Global City launches the very first comprehensive diagnostic and treatment Service for Lymphedema patients in the country.   Lymphedema is a common but under-recognized condition that causes abnormal swelling of different parts of the body, which results from a damaged or obstructed lymphatic system. People whose lymph nodes are removed in the course of cancer surgery and those who had subsequent radiation are most prone to this. Some 24 to 49 percent of breast cancer and 60 to 67 percent of vulvar cancer patients eventually develop the condition after cancer treatment. The excision of lymph nodes affects the normal flow of lymphatic fluids, which leads to the retention of lymph fluids in the arms, legs, breast, trunk, abdomen, head, neck, even genitalia of patients.   Left untreated, afflicted body parts can balloon to enormous sizes, get infected, or may develop into other forms of malignancy or sometimes, patients become prone to vascular insufficiency or thrombosis. Daily activities become so limited that it gets in the way of their jobs.   St. Luke’s-Global City’s Lymphedema Service ensures the early diagnosis of the disease. It uses top-of-the-line diagnostic tools, which allow physicians to identify the problem even before swelling sets in. Early diagnosis results to better management of the condition.   Patients found to have lymphedema go through rehabilitation, which could consist of any or a combination of the use of compression garments and multi-layered bandaging, physical exercises, manual lymphatic drainage, compression pumps to mechanically drain the fluids using the Lymphapress Machine, and Laser Therapy to treat severe forms of lymphedema.   For more information, call the Cancer Institute at (02) 7897700 ext. 2114 and 2115. Press release and photos from St. Luke’s-Global City