Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27479170›Full record

ArticlePsycho-oncology2017

Financial cost of lymphedema borne by women with breast cancer.

John Boyages, Ying Xu, Senia Kalfa, Louise Koelmeyer, Bonny Parkinson, Helen Mackie, Hector Viveros, Paul Gollan, Lucy Taksa

Registry-linked trialOpen access · hybridAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Psycho-oncology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07154771 (Development and Usability Evaluation of an Arm Circumference Measurement Tool For Patients Undergoing Breast Surgery), which is not on this map. Cited by 49 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
49citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
4.3field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT07154771 naactive not recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2025, after this paper: background citation

Development and Usability Evaluation of an Arm Circumference Measurement Tool For Patients Undergoing Breast Surgery

TypeinterventionalSponsorSaglik Bilimleri Universitesi Gulhane Tip FakultesiRan2025 to 2025Enrolled35ConditionsBreast Surgery, Breast Cancer, LymphedemaArmsFirst with the arm circumference measurement tool, then with the traditional tape measure, First with the traditional tape measure , then with the arm circumference measurement tool
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

49 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 96 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Financial toxicity experienced by patients with breast cancer-related lymphedema: a systematic review.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2023
    Pooled it
  3. Cost-effectiveness of photobiomodulation therapy for the prevention and management of cancer treatment toxicities: a systematic review.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2021
    Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Pooled it
  6. What are the economic burden and costs associated with the treatment of breast cancer-related lymphoedema? A systematic review.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2020
    Pooled it
  7. Guideline
  8. Trial
  9. Trial
  10. Breast cancer-related lymphedema and its treatment: how big is the financial impact?Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2021
    Trial
  11. The financial burden of cancer: A longitudinal analysis of out-of-pocket healthcare costs in Australia (2009-2021).Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
    Article
  12. Review
  13. Article
  14. Effect of taxaneZhong nan da xue xue bao. Yi xue ban = Journal of Central South University. Medical sciences · 2026
    Article
  15. Arm morbidity and financial difficulty in breast cancer survivors.Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice · 2026
    Article
  16. Article
  17. Observational
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

John BoyagesDepartment of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-3208-3966
Ying XuFaculty of Business and Economics, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Senia KalfaFaculty of Business and Economics, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Louise KoelmeyerDepartment of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Bonny ParkinsonCentre for the Health Economy, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Helen MackieMacquarie University Hospital, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Hector ViverosFaculty of Business and Economics, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Paul GollanAustralian Institute for Business and Economics, Faculty of Business, Economics and Law, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia.
Lucy TaksaFaculty of Business and Economics, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Macquarie University · AUHornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital · AUThe University of Queensland · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveOur study examines the financial cost of lymphedema following a diagnosis of breast cancer and addresses a significant knowledge gap regarding the additional impact of lymphedema on breast cancer survivors.

methodsAn online national survey was conducted with 361 women who had either breast cancer without lymphedema (BC) (group 1, n = 209) or breast cancer with lymphedema (BC+LE) (group 2, n = 152). Participant recruitment was supported by the Breast Cancer Network Australia and the Australasian Lymphology Association.

resultsBoth breast cancer and lymphedema result in significant out-of-pocket financial costs borne by women. Of patients with BC+LE, 80% indicated that their breast cancer diagnosis had affected them financially compared with 67% in the BC group (P < .020). For patients with lymphedema, over half (56%) indicated that this specific additional diagnosis to their breast cancer affected them financially and that costs increased with lymphedema severity. The cost of compression garments formed a large proportion of these costs (40.1%). The average number of attendances to a therapist each year was 5.8 (range, 0-45). Twenty-five patients (16.4%) had an episode of cellulitis in the past year. The incidence of cellulitis was 7.7% in 91 patients with subclinical or mild lymphedema compared with 29.5% of 61 patients with more extensive lymphedema (P < .001). The average out-of-pocket financial cost of lymphedema care borne by women was A$977 per annum, ranging from A$207 for subclinical lymphedema to over A$1400 for moderate or severe lymphedema.

conclusionsThis study identifies an additional detrimental effect of lymphedema on women in terms of financial costs.

Indexed as

Cost of IllnessAustraliaBreast NeoplasmsCancer SurvivorsFemaleHealth ExpendituresHumansLymphedemaMiddle AgedSeverity of Illness IndexSurveys and Questionnairescancercellulitiscostlymphedemaoncology

Identifiers

PMID27479170
PMCPMC5484300
OpenAlexW2478278234

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.