Lymphödem nach Mammakarzinom - Physikalische und medikamentöse Therapien

therapy, lymphatic edema of the arm were found. The standard of the edema therapy is the complex physical de-congestion with manual lymphatic draining, compression bandaging, de-congesting physical therapy and elevation of the extremities. The chronicity of the edema requires a life-long treatment. In addition to the manual lymphatic draining also a de-congestion with compressed air appara-tuses is carried out with regard to special precautions. In addition, an effective de-congestion can be achieved by applying cold. The medicamentous therapy should not include diuretics; skin care with oils, ointments or cremes is not generally necessary, but it is suitable in the case of der-matological dysbalances. Fungal infections are especially treated with antimycotics, bacterial infections with effective antibiotics; arms with edema tend to erysipelas, which have to be recognized early. Preparations for varicose veins, which are used in phlebo-logy for the treatment of varicosis, are widely ineffective for the treatment of lymphatic edemas. The trace element selenium may be effective in the volume reduction of lymphatic edemas and in the prophylaxis of recurrent erysipelas. First hints, that selenium can also be used for an effective prophylaxis of cancer must be confirmed by future studies.