Histological features of skin and subcutaneous tissue in patients with breast cancer who have received neoadjuvant chemotherapy and their relationship to post-treatment edema

Background Lymphedema is a major complication of treatment for breast cancer. Although chemotherapy can cause lymphedema, there have been few reports about histological changes in skin and subcutaneous tissue after chemotherapy. The aim of our study was to determine whether chemotherapy affects blood and lymphatic vessels in the skin and subcutaneous fat and to investigate the relationship between these changes and extent of post-chemotherapy edema.