Establishing and Sustaining a Prospective Screening Program for Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema at the Massachusetts General Hospital: Lessons Learned
by
Cheryl Brunelle 1, Melissa Skolny 2, Chantal Ferguson 2, Meyha Swaroop 2, Jean O'Toole 1 and Alphonse G. Taghian 2,*
Cheryl Brunelle 1, Melissa Skolny 2, Chantal Ferguson 2, Meyha Swaroop 2, Jean O'Toole 1 and Alphonse G. Taghian 2,*
1
Department of Physical and Occupational Therapy, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
2
Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Jane M. Armer
J. Pers. Med. 2015, 5(2), 153-164; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm5020153
Received: 14 March 2015 / Revised: 4 May 2015 / Accepted: 11 May 2015 / Published: 20 May 2015
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Long-term Cancer Survivorship)
There has been an increasing call to prospectively screen patients with breast cancer for the development of breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) following their breast cancer treatment. While the components of a prospective screening program have been published, some centers struggle with how to initiate, establish, and sustain a screening program of their own. The intent of this manuscript is to share our experience and struggles in establishing a prospective surveillance program within the infrastructure of our institution. It is our hope that by sharing our history other centers can learn from our mistakes and successes to better design their own prospective screening program to best serve their patient population.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Brunelle, C.; Skolny, M.; Ferguson, C.; Swaroop, M.; O'Toole, J.; Taghian, A.G. Establishing and Sustaining a Prospective Screening Program for Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema at the Massachusetts General Hospital: Lessons Learned. J. Pers. Med. 2015, 5, 153-164.
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