Workgroup III - Diagnosis and management of lymphedema

The purpose of this workshop was to derive a consensus statement regarding the diagnosis and treatment of lymphedema following breast carcinoma therap y. There was consensus on the importance of the patient's subjective presen tation with early changes; the importance of early management of patients d uring the first months after breast carcinoma therapy; and the importance o f a multidisciplinary approach to the therapy of lymphedema, with different iation among those modalities that achieve volume reduction of the involved limb from those that maintain long term beneficial therapeutic effects.