Assessment of Breast Cancer-Related Arm Lymphedema—Comparison of Physical Measurement Methods and Self-Report

ABSTRACT

Purpose To determine the relationship between physical methods of measuring lymphedema and self-reported swelling, their reliability, and standard error of measurement. Method: Lymphedema in each arm of women with (n = 33) and without (n = 18) unilateral arm lymphedema, secondary to breast cancer was measured by self-report, bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS), perometer, and the truncated cone method. Results: The physical measurement tools were highly reliable (ICC_(2,1): 0.94 to 1.00) with high concordance (r_c: 0.89 to 0.99). Selfreport correlatedmoderately with physical measurements (r = 0.65 to 0.71) and was moderately reliable (ICC_(2,1): 0.70). Conclusions: Lymphedema assessment methods are concordant and reliable but not interchangeable.

Keywords: :

• Bioimpedance spectroscopy
• Reliability
• Limb circumference
• Perometer

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a grant from the RT Hall Foundation and the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Australia. The authors gratefully acknowledge all of the women who participated in this study.

Declaration of Interest: Author Ward discloses that he has consulted ImpediMed Ltd., which has no involvement, financial or otherwise, in the conception and execution of this study or in the preparation of this manuscript.

Notes

¹Imp RSM version 1.12.0 and Bioimp version 2.25, ImpediMed Ltd., Brisbane, Australia.