Abstract

Upper limb lymphedema after conventional treatment of breast cancer occurs in about 20% of all treated cases, even after conservative therapy. Women with mild to severe upper limb lymphedema expect a decongestive therapy, which usually associates physiotherapy and medical treatment. Upper limb lymphoscintigraphy using rhenium colloids labelled with technetium 99m can be used as a lymphatic functional test in order to evaluate the efficacy of a therapy. We report here the results of a pilot, open study carried out on 10 female patients, age ranging from 44 to 64 years, previously treated for a breast cancer. The average time delay for the occurrence [correction of occurence] of lymphedema was 17 +/- 7 months. All patients received 500 mg twice daily of a micronized flavonoid fraction (Daflon 500 mg) for 6 months. At the end of the study, all patients had a clinical improvement of symptoms and limb volume and the mean decrease in volume of the swollen limb reached 6.80%. Functional parameters (half-life, clearance and lymphatic speed of the colloid) assessed with scintigraphy were significantly improved. These preliminary results suggest that this therapy is effective for the treatment of lymphedemas.