Can hyperbaric oxygen therapy reduce breast cancer treatment-related lymphedema?
Department of Health Promotion Education and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina and the South Carolina Cancer Center, Columbia, South Carolina, USA. jane.teas@palmettohealth.org OBJECTIVE: Arm lymphedema after surgery or radiation for breast cancer is common, causing pain and limitation of activities. Previous reports of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy for breast edema led us to consider the use of HBO therapy for arm lymphedema. METHODS: Ten healthy postmenopausal women (age 58 +/- 5.7 years) with persistent (9.4 years +/- 9.1 years) arm lymphedema following breast cancer surgery and radiation (n = 10) plus chemotherapy (n = 7) received 20 HBO treatments (90 minutes at 2.0 ATA five times a week for 4 weeks). End points included changes in upper extremity volume, platelet counts, plasma levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and lymph angiogenic-associated vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C). Lymphedema volume (LV) was defined
