• Huaqing Huang, Jie Lin, Zhisen Dai, Meina Zeng, Sang Li, and Huizhe Zheng.
• Department of Pain Medicine, Clinical Oncology School of Fujian Medical University, Fujian Cancer Hospital, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China; Pain Research Institute of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China.
• Pain Physician. 2022 Nov 1; 25 (8): E1269E1277E1269-E1277.

BackgroundAlthough lower limb lymphedema (LLL) is more or equally as frequent and harmful as upper limb lymphedema after cancer treatment, there are only a few studies on this topic. Cancer-related secondary LLL not only has physical implications, but also affects quality of life among patients who underwent gynecological cancer treatment. Despite numerous studies of various therapies, the optimal treatment for cancer-related LLL is still unknown.ObjectivesWe aimed to investigate the efficacy of lumbar sympathetic ganglion block (LSGB) in patients with secondary LLL in the present study.Study DesignThis study is a retrospective study.SettingA single academic hospital, outpatient setting.MethodsA total of 30 patients with secondary unilateral LLL and failed complex decongestive treatment,  from January 2017 through May 2021, were reviewed for inclusion in this study. The patients underwent fluoroscopy-guided LSGB 2 times with the help of digital subtraction angiography at 3-day intervals. Leg circumference was measured, and the volume of the leg was calculated before surgery, on the first day after the first surgery, on the first day after the second surgery, and on the seventh day after the second surgery. The World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument Questionnaire scores were monitored before and after LSGB.ResultsThe leg circumference and volume decreased significantly from baseline after the treatment (P < 0.001). One week after 2 rounds of LSGB, the physical health score, psychological score, and social relationships score were higher than those before treatment (all P < 0.05). There was no difference in the environmental health score (P = 0.2731).LimitationsThis study was limited by its sample size and retrospective observational design.ConclusionsLSGB can be a safe and effective treatment option for patients with secondary LLL after gynecological cancer treatment.

17 keywords...

hide…