Journal article 93 views 9 downloads
Lymphoedema Development Following a Cancer Diagnosis: An Anonymised Data Linkage Study in Wales, United Kingdom
,
Alan Watkins ,
Ashley Akbari ,
Rowena Griffiths,
Marie Gabe‐Walters,
Melanie Thomas ,
Cheryl Pike,
Angela Williams,
Thomas Dobbs,
John Gibson,
Iain Whitaker,
Hayley Hutchings
International Wound Journal, Volume: 22, Issue: 4, Start page: e70331
Swansea University Authors:
Ioan Humphreys , Alan Watkins , Ashley Akbari , Angela Williams, Thomas Dobbs, Iain Whitaker, Hayley Hutchings
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© 2025 The Author(s). International Wound Journal published by Medicalhelplines.com Inc and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY).
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DOI (Published version): 10.1111/iwj.70331
Abstract
This observational cohort study explored lymphoedema development following a cancer diagnosis and whether demographic factors impacted the time to lymphoedema development. We identified cases through the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank. We used cancer diagnostic codes to identi...
| Published in: | International Wound Journal |
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| ISSN: | 1742-4801 1742-481X |
| Published: |
Wiley
2025
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| Online Access: |
Check full text
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa69157 |
| Abstract: |
This observational cohort study explored lymphoedema development following a cancer diagnosis and whether demographic factors impacted the time to lymphoedema development. We identified cases through the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank. We used cancer diagnostic codes to identify a cohort of six broad cancer ‘types’. We independently used lymphoedema diagnostic codes to identify a cohort who developed lymphoedema. We linked these two cohorts to develop a single cohort of cases and describe the number of cases who went on to develop lymphoedema after a cancer diagnosis, and the time to lymphoedema diagnosis. We used Cox regression models to calculate hazard ratios and produced survival curves to explore whether pre-defined factors (gender, age, deprivation, cancer type) had any impact on time to lymphoedema development. We identified 7538 cases of lymphoedema development after a cancer diagnosis, relating to 7279 people. There was considerable variation in the time to diagnosis, with a mean and standard deviation of 483.3 (701.8) days. Cancer type was the single most important factor in explaining time to lymphoedema diagnosis. Time to lymphoedema was shortest in breast cancer. A large number of breast cancer cases have undergone surgery, and this may account for the earlier development of lymphoedema. Consideration should be made of risk factors for lymphoedema development in order to allow for more targeted treatment plans that could improve health-related quality of life for patients. |
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| Keywords: |
cancer, diagnosis, linked routine data, lymphoedema, risk factors |
| College: |
Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences |
| Funders: |
This project has been commissioned by the Lymphoedema Network Wales as part of NHS Wales, with direct funding from the NHS to support its activities. |
| Issue: |
4 |
| Start Page: |
e70331 |