Multimodal treatments and the risk of breast cancer-related lymphedema: insights from a nationally representative cohort in South Korea
Abstract Background As the roles of chemotherapy (Chemo) and radiation therapy (Radio) in the definitive treatment of breast cancer have expanded, a broader understanding of the factors associated with breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) has become increasingly essential. Therefore, we investiga...
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BMC
2025-01-01
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| Series: | BMC Cancer |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-025-13513-5 |
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| author | Sung Hoon Jeong Seong Min Chun Miji Kim Ye Seol Lee Jisun Kim Ja-Ho Leigh Yoon-Hee Choi |
| author_facet | Sung Hoon Jeong Seong Min Chun Miji Kim Ye Seol Lee Jisun Kim Ja-Ho Leigh Yoon-Hee Choi |
| author_sort | Sung Hoon Jeong |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background As the roles of chemotherapy (Chemo) and radiation therapy (Radio) in the definitive treatment of breast cancer have expanded, a broader understanding of the factors associated with breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) has become increasingly essential. Therefore, we investigated the association between multimodality treatment and the risk of BCRL. Methods In this retrospective study conducted using National Health Insurance data and the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database (2006–2017), 114,638 participants who underwent Surgery (Surg) or Chemo within 6 months after breast cancer diagnosis were enrolled, and the effect of multimodality treatment on the risk of BCRL was analyzed using the Cox proportional-hazards model. Multimodality treatment administered through six months of treatment was grouped as only Surg; Surg/Chemo; Surg/ Chemo/Radio; Surg/Radio; only Chemo; and Chemo/Radio. Results The risk of BCRL was higher in the Surg/Chemo group (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.54, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.43–1.65), Surg/Chemo/Radio group (HR: 1.51, 95% CI: 1.43–1.65), only Chemo group (HR: 1.58, 95% CI: 1.45–1.71), and Chemo/Radio group (HR: 1.13, 95% CI: 1.00–1.29) in comparison with the only Surg group. Conclusion BCRL occurrence is an after-effect of complex breast cancer treatments, and the risk may vary depending on the treatment method, including Surg, chemo, and radio. Our findings suggest that multidisciplinary strategies are required to minimize the risk of BCRL development in patients with breast cancer. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9fd05199ca164163addeba7d3cc276c1 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1471-2407 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Cancer |
| spelling | doaj-art-9fd05199ca164163addeba7d3cc276c12025-01-26T12:37:53ZengBMCBMC Cancer1471-24072025-01-0125111210.1186/s12885-025-13513-5Multimodal treatments and the risk of breast cancer-related lymphedema: insights from a nationally representative cohort in South KoreaSung Hoon Jeong0Seong Min Chun1Miji Kim2Ye Seol Lee3Jisun Kim4Ja-Ho Leigh5Yoon-Hee Choi6Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Seoul National University HospitalDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Soonchunhyang University Hospital Seoul, Soonchunhyang University College of MedicineDepartment of Biostatistics and Computing, Yonsei University Graduate SchoolDepartment of Long-term Care Benefits, National Health Insurance ServiceDepartment of Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of MedicineDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Seoul National University HospitalDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Soonchunhyang University Hospital Seoul, Soonchunhyang University College of MedicineAbstract Background As the roles of chemotherapy (Chemo) and radiation therapy (Radio) in the definitive treatment of breast cancer have expanded, a broader understanding of the factors associated with breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) has become increasingly essential. Therefore, we investigated the association between multimodality treatment and the risk of BCRL. Methods In this retrospective study conducted using National Health Insurance data and the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database (2006–2017), 114,638 participants who underwent Surgery (Surg) or Chemo within 6 months after breast cancer diagnosis were enrolled, and the effect of multimodality treatment on the risk of BCRL was analyzed using the Cox proportional-hazards model. Multimodality treatment administered through six months of treatment was grouped as only Surg; Surg/Chemo; Surg/ Chemo/Radio; Surg/Radio; only Chemo; and Chemo/Radio. Results The risk of BCRL was higher in the Surg/Chemo group (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.54, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.43–1.65), Surg/Chemo/Radio group (HR: 1.51, 95% CI: 1.43–1.65), only Chemo group (HR: 1.58, 95% CI: 1.45–1.71), and Chemo/Radio group (HR: 1.13, 95% CI: 1.00–1.29) in comparison with the only Surg group. Conclusion BCRL occurrence is an after-effect of complex breast cancer treatments, and the risk may vary depending on the treatment method, including Surg, chemo, and radio. Our findings suggest that multidisciplinary strategies are required to minimize the risk of BCRL development in patients with breast cancer.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-025-13513-5Breast cancerRisk of breast cancer-related lymphedemaMultimodality treatmentEpidemiology |
| spellingShingle | Sung Hoon Jeong Seong Min Chun Miji Kim Ye Seol Lee Jisun Kim Ja-Ho Leigh Yoon-Hee Choi Multimodal treatments and the risk of breast cancer-related lymphedema: insights from a nationally representative cohort in South Korea BMC Cancer Breast cancer Risk of breast cancer-related lymphedema Multimodality treatment Epidemiology |
| title | Multimodal treatments and the risk of breast cancer-related lymphedema: insights from a nationally representative cohort in South Korea |
| title_full | Multimodal treatments and the risk of breast cancer-related lymphedema: insights from a nationally representative cohort in South Korea |
| title_fullStr | Multimodal treatments and the risk of breast cancer-related lymphedema: insights from a nationally representative cohort in South Korea |
| title_full_unstemmed | Multimodal treatments and the risk of breast cancer-related lymphedema: insights from a nationally representative cohort in South Korea |
| title_short | Multimodal treatments and the risk of breast cancer-related lymphedema: insights from a nationally representative cohort in South Korea |
| title_sort | multimodal treatments and the risk of breast cancer related lymphedema insights from a nationally representative cohort in south korea |
| topic | Breast cancer Risk of breast cancer-related lymphedema Multimodality treatment Epidemiology |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-025-13513-5 |
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