Bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) is more accurate and reliable than other methods of subclinical assessment of lymphedema in breast cancer patients, according to a paper published in the July 20 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

The paper, authored by Sandra Hayes, PhD., and colleagues from Queensland University of Technology in Australia, is based on a study that involved 265 breast cancer patients. Approximately 87 percent of the patients had undergone lymph node dissection, 70 percent had received radiation therapy and 40 percent had received chemotherapy and/or hormone treatment. The study's investigators conducted assessments of the patients for the evidence of lymphedema at three monthly intervals between six- and 18-months post-surgery using a BIS device, sum of arm circumference (SOAC) and patients' self-reporting.

Using BIS, the investigators were able to detect 60 percent of the lymphedema cases that were missed when assessments were conducted with the SOAC method and 40 percent that were missed through self-reporting. For women treated on their non-dominant side, the SOAC method exhibited even lower sensitivity, with approximately eight out of every 10 patients with subclinical lymphedema going undetected. The self-reporting method showed low specificity, with a 40 percent false positive rate.

"Early intervention is critical to the management and treatment of lymphedema, and these latest findings further support the use of bioimpedance spectroscopy as a direct, accurate and reliable measure to aid doctors with the clinical assessment of the condition," said Greg Brown, CEO of ImpediMed, which has the only FDA cleared device for the clinical assessment by health care providers of secondary lymphedema of the arm in women.