Oncology nursing forum
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Oncology nursing forum · Sep 2013
Comparative StudyAssessment of external lymphedema in patients with head and neck cancer: a comparison of four scales.
To compare available grading and staging scales that measure external lymphedema in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) and to assess problems and gaps related to these tools. ⋯ Early identification and accurate documentation of head and neck lymphedema are critically important to prevent lymphedema progress. However, existing grading criteria failed to capture important characteristics of external head and neck lymphedema. More research efforts need to be made to address this under-recognized issue.