Liposuction helps manage lymphedema
in head and neck cancer
Delicia Honen Yard
July 03, 2012
Liposuction helps manage lymphedema in head and neck
cancer
Liposuction is a simple,
uncomplicated, and well-tolerated surgical technique for the treatment of
persistent submental lymphedema in patients with a previous head and neck
cancer, a small study has demonstrated.
Submental lymphedema, which affects the area under the chin and commonly
develops among persons who have undergone treatment for head and neck cancer,
causes fluid deposition and persistent swelling of the soft tissues of the
neck. This leads to disfigurement and functional deficits, according to a
statement issued by the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck
Surgery, which published the study results in the association's journal,
Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery (2012;146[6]:1028-1030).
As S. Mark Taylor, MD, and Maria Brake, MD, of Dalhousie University, Halifax,
Nova Scotia, Canada, noted in their report, the use of liposuction for
submental and cervical lymphedema had never been described in the literature to
their knowledge. The pair performed submental liposuction on 10 patients
experiencing persistent lymphedema after having undergone radiotherapy for a
head and neck malignancy. Five patients had previous neck dissection, one of
which was radical. All of the participants had been cancer-free for at least 1
year prior to the liposuction. The procedure involved an incision being made
into the neck, after which liposuction was applied to remove fat and fluid from
the treatment area.
All the patients tolerated the procedure well under local anesthesia, with no
complications by the time Taylor and Brake wrote up their findings. No
recurrences in the neck had developed, and all 10 patients reported being
satisfied with the results and said they would recommend the procedure it to
other patients.
in head and neck cancer
Delicia Honen Yard
July 03, 2012
Liposuction helps manage lymphedema in head and neck
cancer
Liposuction is a simple,
uncomplicated, and well-tolerated surgical technique for the treatment of
persistent submental lymphedema in patients with a previous head and neck
cancer, a small study has demonstrated.
Submental lymphedema, which affects the area under the chin and commonly
develops among persons who have undergone treatment for head and neck cancer,
causes fluid deposition and persistent swelling of the soft tissues of the
neck. This leads to disfigurement and functional deficits, according to a
statement issued by the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck
Surgery, which published the study results in the association's journal,
Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery (2012;146[6]:1028-1030).
As S. Mark Taylor, MD, and Maria Brake, MD, of Dalhousie University, Halifax,
Nova Scotia, Canada, noted in their report, the use of liposuction for
submental and cervical lymphedema had never been described in the literature to
their knowledge. The pair performed submental liposuction on 10 patients
experiencing persistent lymphedema after having undergone radiotherapy for a
head and neck malignancy. Five patients had previous neck dissection, one of
which was radical. All of the participants had been cancer-free for at least 1
year prior to the liposuction. The procedure involved an incision being made
into the neck, after which liposuction was applied to remove fat and fluid from
the treatment area.
All the patients tolerated the procedure well under local anesthesia, with no
complications by the time Taylor and Brake wrote up their findings. No
recurrences in the neck had developed, and all 10 patients reported being
satisfied with the results and said they would recommend the procedure it to
other patients.