Summary

More than one-third of oncology patients who have undergone surgery for breast cancer and more than a quarter of those who have had pelvic lymph nodes removed as part of their surgical cancer therapy suffer from secondary lymphoedema. Standard treatment consists of conservative clinical lymphology measures. Besides this complex lymphatic therapy, a number of surgical techniques have been available for many years to remedy this condition, which otherwise requires lifelong treatment. One of the questions to be answered in the future is whether early lymphologic liposculpture under tumescent anaesthesia should be introduced to treat stage II secondary lymphoedema and, based on Brenner’s observations, possibly even stage I, in order to relieve patients of the considerable lymphatic effects associated with cancer survival, substantially reduce the need for lifelong treatment, and significantly improve the quality of life.