Dr Tracey DiSipio, a Postdoctoral Fellow within the QUT Improving Health Outcomes for People research group, is the lead author of a new paper entitled “The Lymphedema Evaluation in Gynecological cancer Study (LEGS): design of a prospective, longitudinal, cohort study” published in the journal Cancer Research Frontiers.
Lymphoedema is a potential problematic complication following treatment for cancer and is the accumulation of excessive amounts of fluid resulting in swelling, most commonly in the arms or legs, but can also occur in other parts of the body. Prevalence and risk factors for lymphoedema following gynaecological cancer are currently unknown.
The paper details the study protocol and characteristics of the LEGS sample, a long-term study evaluating the prevalence, incidence and risk factors of lower-limb lymphoedema after treatment for gynaecological cancer. In total, 546 women with a newly diagnosed gynaecological condition (408 cancer; 138 benign) participated in LEGS, with a 24-month retention rate of 78%.
The information collected in this study will be necessary to identify the pros and cons of the various lymphoedema diagnostic methods. QUT Improving Health Outcomes for People researchers will use this information to advance our understanding of gynaecological cancer survivorship and guide future lymphoedema clinical practice.
