Advances in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer-related lymphedema.

Purpose: Breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) represents a lifelong risk for breast cancer survivors and once acquired becomes a lifelong burden. This review summarizes current BCRL prevention and treatment strategies.

Findings: Risk factors for BCRL have been extensively studied and their identification has affected breast cancer treatment practice, with sentinel lymph node removal now standard of care for patients with early stage breast cancer without sentinel lymph node metastases.