Clinical Practice Guidelines for Tumor-related Lymphedema: Chinese Expert Consensus Based on the Delphi Method (2025 Version)

Tumor-related lymphedema is a common chronic progressive lymphatic disorder that occurs as a complication of malignant tumors and cancer-related therapy. It clinically presents with symptoms such as swelling, heaviness, stiffness and impaired mobility of the affected limb. The condition can lead to disability and trigger emotional disturbances such as anxiety and depression, significantly impairing patients' quality of life. The management of this disease is a long-term endeavor that relies on multidisciplinary collaboration. Although relevant consensus documents have been published domestically, their content remains insufficiently comprehensive, resulting in a lack of unified and standardized guidance in clinical practice. There is an urgent need to update and develop more comprehensive localized guidelines. A panel of 30 experts from 17 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in China collaboratively developed the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Tumor-related Lymphedema: Chinese Expert Consensus Based on the Delphi Method (2025 Version) by integrating the latest evidence-based medical findings and applying the Delphi method. This consensus addresses nine key dimensions: risk factors, monitoring and follow-up, patient education, diagnosis and evaluation, complex decongestive therapy, pharmacotherapy, surgical intervention, nutritional management, and multidisciplinary care. In total, 113 consensus recommendations were established, providing standardized guidance for the clinical management of tumor-related lymphedema.