Lymphedema after head and neck cancer is considerably more common than previously assumed and can persist long after cancer treatment has finished. Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have discovered that patients with a low level of physical activity face a higher risk of developing lymphedema.

Lymphedema arises when the body’s drainage system—the lymphatic system—does not remove tissue water, which means that fluid collects in tissue and causes swelling. This can occur when the lymph nodes have been surgically removed or if the lymphatic system has been damaged by radiation treatment or chemotherapy.

The study covered 50 patients with an average age of 64, and two-thirds of the participants were men. The work is published in the journal Oral Oncology.

In the study, the researchers saw that individuals who had higher self-estimated physical activity (4–6 on a six-grade scale) were affected to a lesser extent by lymphedema. Individuals with low levels of physical activity thus had a greater risk of developing lymphedema.

Full article: https://www.sciencedirect.com:5037/science/article/pii/S1368837525005007