title: Lower extremity edema in patients with early ovarian cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The objective of this study was to investigate clinical manifestations of lower extremity edema (LEE) in early ovarian cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with early ovarian cancer who underwent staging surgery between January 2001 and December 2010. Medical records for LEE and/or responses to the Gynecologic Cancer Lymphedema Questionnaire (GCLQ) were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients had a median age of 46 years. Twenty-nine patients (40.8%) had past (13 patients, 44.8%) and/or current patient-reported LEE (16 patients, 55.2%). Symptoms reported on the GCLQ in over 20% of respondents were numbness, firmness/tightness, swelling, heaviness, limited movement of knee, and aching. GCLQ total symptoms score was significantly higher in patients with current LEE. Most of the LEE (25/29, 86.2%) developed within 12 months after surgery and LEE lasted more than 6 months in approximately two-thirds of the patients (18/29, 62.1%). Only half of the patients (52.1%) indicated knowledge of lymphedema: 86.2% of LEE patients and 28.6% of patients with no LEE.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although a significant proportion of patients with ovarian cancer have LEE after surgery, most are not aware of lymphedema until they develop. Education and analyses for LEE and lymphedema are needed in patients with ovarian cancer.
authors.affiliation: Center for Uterine Cancer, Research Institute and Hospital, National Cancer Center, 323, Ilsan-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si 410-769, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea. gynlim@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Myong Cheol
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Jeong Seon
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Byung Ho
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.forename: Sang-Soo
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.forename: Sokbom
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Sang-Yoon
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000077216:Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D065426:Cytoreduction Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000473:pathology*; D008209:Lymphedema / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009375:Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D015995:Prevalence; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult