Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics, 2025, Vol.13, No.6, 275-286 http://medscipublisher.com/index.php/cge 275 Case Study Open Access Nursing Intervention Practice and Rehabilitation Path Tracking for Edema of the Affected Upper Limb in Patients After Breast Cancer Surgery Wei Zhang Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, 310022, Zhejiang, China Corresponding email: weizhang@qq.com Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics, 2025, Vol.13, No.6 doi: 10.5376/cge.2025.13.0028 Received: 12 Sep., 2025 Accepted: 15 Oct., 2025 Published: 28 Nov., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Zhang, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Zhang W., 2025, Nursing intervention practice and rehabilitation path tracking for edema of the affected upper limb in patients after breast cancer surgery, Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics, 13(6): 275-286 (doi: 10.5376/cge.2025.13.0028) Abstract This study focused on the lymphedema problem in ipsilateral breast cancer survivors, analyzing the relevant nursing methods, rehabilitation follow-up situations, as well as the main causes, risk factors and possible pathogenesis of this edema. This study starts with the nursing methods and observes its actual application effect. Relevant data indicates that when multiple departments cooperate with each other, design exclusive care plans based on the actual conditions of patients, and do a good job in long-term follow-up, the probability of lymphedema occurrence can be significantly reduced, helping patients restore normal arm function and improve their quality of life. This study also analyzed the value of staged rehabilitation plans and full-course nursing management, particularly highlighting the role of digital monitoring technology in early disease screening and long-term rehabilitation. The aim of this study is to establish unified nursing standards, integrate intelligent technologies, deepen research related to long-term treatment effects, and provide higher-quality and more personalized nursing services for patients with lymphedema after breast cancer surgery. Keywords Postoperative complications of breast cancer; Upper limb lymphedema; Nursing interventions; Rehabilitation pathway management; Digital health monitoring 1 Introduction Lymphedema on the same side of the arm is a very common and serious problem for breast cancer patients after surgery. Literature shows that the incidence of this condition is above 15% to 40%, and it is specifically affected by various factors such as axillary lymph node dissection, radiotherapy treatment, and the patient's own health condition. This long-term problem that troubles patients is often manifested as swollen arms, pain, difficulty in movement and frequent infections. These discomforts can seriously interfere with patients' daily lives, affect their ability to take care of themselves, and greatly reduce their overall quality of life. In addition, patients may also have psychological problems such as anxiety, depression, and unwillingness to interact with others, which will impose a heavier physical and mental burden on them. Therefore, lymphedema is a public health problem that cannot be ignored among breast cancer survivors (Rodrigues et al., 2025). Nursing intervention and rehabilitation management are the keys to preventing, early detection and effective treatment of upper limb lymphedema. Many studies have pointed out that through various nursing methods, such as explaining disease knowledge to patients, formulating personalized exercise plans, manual lymphatic drainage, stress therapy, and psychological care, the occurrence of lymphedema can be effectively reduced, existing symptoms alleviated, arm movement function improved, and patients can live better (Rodrigues et al., 2023; Alkilil et al., 2025). Early postoperative care, consistent intervention, and the joint efforts of multiple departments in care are all very important for helping patients recover better, improve self-management ability, and support long-term rehabilitation (Marakai et al., 2025; Wu et al., 2025). This study aims to clarify the nursing methods, rehabilitation processes and follow-up approaches for ipsiateral upper limb lymphedema in patients with breast cancer after surgery. The main contents include: the incidence of lymphedema, the factors that are prone to cause it and their hazards, scientifically based nursing methods and practical effects, exploration of systematic rehabilitation processes and follow-up models, as well as clinical
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