ArticleSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2019
"It still affects our economic situation": long-term economic burden of breast cancer and lymphedema.
Article in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05469945 (Lower Limb Lymphedema After Gyneco-oncologic Therapy), which is not on this map. Cited by 70 papers, 11 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Lower Limb Lymphedema After Gyneco-oncologic Therapy: Can we Prevent Irreversible Lymphedema?
Who cites it
70 citing papers in PubMed, 11 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 134 citations in OpenAlex.
- Immediate Lymphatic Reconstruction (ILR) for the Prevention of Lymphedema: A Meta-analysis of Prospective Clinical Trials.Annals of surgical oncology · 2026Pooled it
- Preventing Secondary Lymphedema: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Efficacy of Immediate Lymphovenous Anastomosis.Journal of surgical oncology · 2025Pooled it
- Breast Cancer Patients' Experiences of Coping With Financial Toxicity: A Systematic Review and Qualitative Meta-Synthesis.Psycho-oncology · 2025Pooled it
- Psychosocial experiences of breast cancer survivors: a meta-review.Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice · 2024Pooled it
- 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 · 2023Pooled it
- Describing financial toxicity among cancer patients in different income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2023Pooled it
- 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 · 2021Pooled it
- The experience of financial burden for people with multimorbidity: A systematic review of qualitative research.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2021Pooled it
- The Out-of-Pocket Cost Burden of Cancer Care-A Systematic Literature Review.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2021Pooled it
- Financial toxicity and employment status in cancer survivors. A systematic literature review.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2020Pooled it
- 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 · 2020Pooled it
- A pragmatic evaluation of community-based lymphoedema services for individuals at risk of, or living with, cancer-related lymphoedema.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Trial
- 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 · 2021Trial
- Review
- Social determinants drive lymphedema severity and treatment adherence: evidence from a three-year retrospective cohort study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Article
- A Patient-Informed Framework of Financial Strain Among Adults with Multimorbidity.Journal of general internal medicine · 2026Article
- Comprehensive overview of management and risk assessment of breast cancer-related lymphedema: a multidisciplinary approach.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Review
- Development and validation of a machine learning-based predictive model for early outcomes following combined suction-assisted lipectomy and lymphovenous anastomosis in breast cancer-related lymphedema: a retrospective cohort study.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Article
- Breast cancer and long-term employment: A retrospective cohort study from Norway.Journal of public health research · 2026Article
- Women's and practitioners' views of early intensive decongestive lymphoedema treatment for breast cancer-related arm lymphoedema: a focus group study.Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice · 2025Article
10 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
purposeFinancial toxicity after breast cancer may be exacerbated by adverse treatment effects, like breast cancer-related lymphedema. As the first study of long-term out-of-pocket costs for breast cancer survivors in the USA with lymphedema, this mixed methods study compares out-of-pocket costs for breast cancer survivors with and without lymphedema.
methodsIn 2015, 129 breast cancer survivors from Pennsylvania and New Jersey completed surveys on demographics, economically burdensome events since cancer diagnosis, cancer treatment factors, insurance, and comorbidities; and prospective monthly out-of-pocket cost diaries over 12 months. Forty participants completed in-person semi-structured interviews. GLM regression predicted annual dollar amount estimates.
results46.5% of participants had lymphedema. Mean age was 63 years (SD = 8). Average time since cancer diagnosis was 12 years (SD = 5). Over 98% had insurance. Annual adjusted health-related out-of-pocket costs excluding productivity losses totaled $2306 compared to $1090 (p = 0.006) for those without lymphedema, or including productivity losses, $3325 compared to $2792 (p = 0.55). Interviews suggested that the cascading nature of economic burden on long-term savings and work opportunities, and insufficiency of insurance to cover lymphedema-related needs drove cost differences. Higher costs delayed retirement, reduced employment, and increased inability to access lymphedema care.
conclusionsLong-term cancer survivors with lymphedema may face up to 112% higher out-of-pocket costs than those without lymphedema, which influences lymphedema management, and has lasting impact on savings and productivity. Findings reinforce the need for actions at policy, provider, and individual patient levels, to reduce lymphedema costs. Future work should explore patient-driven recommendations to reduce economic burden after cancer.
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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.