Comfort Subcutaneous Drainage: a Descriptive Study Among Palliative Phase Cancer Patients

Lymphedema

Physical embarrassment, pain and psychological impact linked to the body image distortion are often associated to these lymphedemas. Investigators decided to study new therapeutic method because of major discomfort due to these oedemas and doctors' difficulty to manage them. Subcutaneous drainage also called lymphocentesis seems to be an interesting technique. This local treatment consists in inserting in lower limbs several catheters draining into enclosed bags in order to evacuate lymph fluid and to lower local pressure. Very few studies have been published concerning this technique and are presenting only a small number of cases. They cannot allow clear conclusions of this technique's efficiency but show encouraging results. Investigators want to collect more data on this technique using a larger number of subjects in order to evaluate subcutaneous drainage effects on the comfort of palliative care cancer patients presenting lower limbs lymphedema. Investigators will consider as lymphedema, oedemas with no renal or cardiovascular identified cause and excluding anasarca.

Lower limbs lymphedemas are often reported in advanced palliative phase cancer patients. These oedemas have multiple causes and are complicated to be taken care of. Actual available treatments such as physiotherapist massage and compression stockings, are often lacking efficiency and are not adapted for these patients. Physical embarrassment, pain and psychological impact linked to the body image distortion are often associated to these lymphedemas. Investigators decided to study new therapeutic method because of major discomfort due to these oedemas and doctors' difficulty to manage them. Subcutaneous drainage also called lymphocentesis seems to be an interesting technique. This local treatment consists in inserting in lower limbs several catheters draining into enclosed bags in order to evacuate lymph fluid and to lower local pressure. Very few studies have been published concerning this technique and are presenting only a small number of cases. They cannot allow clear conclusions of this technique's efficiency but show encouraging results. Investigators want to collect more data on this technique using a larger number of subjects in order to evaluate subcutaneous drainage effects on the comfort of palliative care cancer patients presenting lower limbs lymphedema. Investigators will consider as lymphedema, oedemas with no renal or cardiovascular identified cause and excluding anasarca. This study should be completed by a comparative randomized study to increase the evidence level if it shows a technical interest for drainage.

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