This can lead to pain and a loss of mobility. Lymphoedema usually affects the arms or legs, although in some cases there may be swelling in the chest, head or genitals.

Lymphoedema is caused by damage to or disruption of the lymphatic system. One function of the lymphatic system is to drain excess fluid from tissues. If the lymphatic system is disrupted or damaged, it can lose this ability and the excess fluid will cause the tissue to swell.

Types of lymphoedema

There are two main types of lymphoedema:

• Primary lymphoedema develops at birth or shortly after puberty and is caused by faulty genes.

• Secondary lymphoedema is caused by damage to the lymphatic system as a result of an infection, injury, trauma or cancer.

Secondary lymphoedema often develops as a side effect of cancer treatment. Surgery is often necessary to remove lymph glands to prevent a cancer from spreading. This can damage the lymphatic system. Radiotherapy, where controlled doses of high-energy radiation are used to destroy cancer cells, can also damage the lymphatic system.

How common is lymphoedema?

It is estimated that 1 in every 10,000 people are affected by primary lymphoedema. Secondary lymphoedema is a relatively common condition, affecting an estimated 1 in every 650 people in the UK.

Secondary lymphoedema occurs more frequently in women, mainly because it is a side effect of breast cancer treatment.

Cancer Research UK estimates than one in five women may have lymphoedema in their arm after they have had radiotherapy or lymph nodes removed to treat breast cancer.

Treatment

There is no cure for lymphoedema, but it is possible to control the symptoms using a combination of different techniques, such as massage and compression garments.