Skip to main content
An official website of the United States government
Government Funding Lapse

Because of a lapse in government funding, the information on this website may not be up to date, transactions submitted via the website may not be processed, and the agency may not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted.

The NIH Clinical Center (the research hospital of NIH) is open. For more details about its operating status, please visit cc.nih.gov.

Updates regarding government operating status and resumption of normal operations can be found at opm.gov.

Principal Investigator
Christine A. Miaskowski
Awardee Organization

University Of California, San Francisco
United States

Fiscal Year
2020
Activity Code
R01
Early Stage Investigator Grants (ESI)
Not Applicable
Project End Date
NIH RePORTER
For more information, see NIH RePORTER Project 5R01CA187160-06

Biomarker and Phenotypic Risk Factors for Breast Cancer Lymphedema

Lymphedema (LE) following treatment for breast cancer is the most common form of secondary LE in the industrialized world. It occurs in 20% to 87% of patients following treatment for breast cancer and results in significant disability. At the present time, the definitive phenotypic, genotypic and epigenotypic predictors that place patients at highest risk for the development of LE are not known. Therefore, the specific aims of this study, in a sample of patients following treatment for breast cancer, are to: determine genetic predictors of LE using a candidate gene approach and evaluate for epigenetic changes, as measured by DNA methylation and subsequent gene expression, in candidate genes associated with the diagnosis of LE. The secondary aims of this study are to: evaluate for latent classes of women with distinct phenotypic predictors of LE; and evaluate for differences in symptoms, functional status, and QOL outcomes between women with and without LE and among the latent classes with LE. The results of this study will provide new information on the underlying mechanisms for LE and allow for the development and testing of novel approaches to prevent or reduce the negative effects of LE.