Assessment and Management of Lymphoedema in Melanoma Care

Published Caitlin Broomhall on

This webinar was designed to equip specialist nurses with the knowledge and skills to effectively assess, monitor and support patients living with lymphoedema following melanoma treatment. Incorporating the lived experience of a consumer, the session highlighted evidence-based strategies for prevention, early identification and management of lymphoedema, as well as considerations in regional and rural settings, giving nurses insight into the physical and psychosocial impacts of lymphoedema and practical approaches to multidisciplinary treatment and patient education.

Watch on demand

Event recording

Recording guide

Explore the topics

Open the guide below to see the seven topics covered, then select any topic to open the recording at that point on YouTube in a new tab.

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01 Welcome and speaker introductions (opens in a new tab) 0:00 → Introduces lymphoedema physiotherapist Carol Morris and consumer advocate Monique Bareham. 02 Understanding the lymphatic system and how melanoma treatment damages it (opens in a new tab) 5:10 → Explains how the lymphatic system works and how surgery, radiation and drug therapies used in melanoma care can damage it. 03 Incidence rates and risk factors for lymphoedema (opens in a new tab) 14:56 → Covers how common lymphoedema is after different types of node surgery and the patient factors that increase risk. 04 Recognising symptoms, assessment and management strategies (opens in a new tab) 20:23 → Details the signs to watch for, simple assessment methods, and practical prevention and treatment options available in clinic. 05 Monique's story: diagnosis, struggle and becoming an advocate (opens in a new tab) 25:45 → Follows Monique's breast cancer diagnosis, her difficult experience developing lymphoedema, and how it led her into advocacy work. 06 The scale of lymphoedema, resources and the push for equitable access (opens in a new tab) 36:03 → Discusses the lack of national data on lymphoedema prevalence, trustworthy resources for patients, and the fight for consistent garment subsidy access across states. 07 Living with lymphoedema: a personal testimony and closing milestones (opens in a new tab) 49:10 → Shares Monique's ongoing experience managing her condition and the advocacy milestones she's achieved, including national data collection efforts. 

Learning outcomes

What you will learn

After this session, nurses will be able to:

01

Describe pathophysiology and risk factors

Describe the pathophysiology, risk factors and clinical presentation of lymphoedema in people treated for melanoma.

02

Identify early signs and integrate monitoring

Identify early signs and symptoms of lymphoedema and consider ways of integrating this into ongoing patient monitoring.

03

Understand evidence-based management strategies

Understand evidence-based strategies for lymphoedema management, including referral pathways, supportive therapies and self-management education for patients and carers.

04

Describe quality-of-life impact and consumer perspectives

Describe the impact of lymphoedema on patient quality of life and incorporate consumer perspectives into person-centred care.

At a glance

The event in brief

Originally held

Tuesday 21 October 2025

Online webinar, part of the Melanoma Nursing Webinar Program.

Who this is for

Nurses

Specialist nurses assessing, monitoring and supporting patients living with lymphoedema following melanoma treatment.

Contributors

Speakers

Carol Morris

Speaker

Carol Morris

Lymphoedema Physiotherapist, Melanoma Institute Australia

Carol Morris is an APA specialist physiotherapist who developed an interest in lymphoedema whilst working in the UK. After completing lymphoedema training in Austria, she continued treating patients both in the private and post-mastectomy hospital setting. Returning to Australia in 2007, Carol went on to complete her Masters and also worked as a research assistant with the Breast Cancer Research Group at the University of Sydney, before joining the Lymphoedema Clinic at Melanoma Institute Australia in 2012. Carol's clinical interests include the effects of exercise and an active lifestyle on the affected limb after node removal surgeries and radiotherapy, and with a keen interest in sports and the outdoors, she aims to provide patients with an integrated lymphoedema management approach to return patients to their pre-cancer activity levels.

Monique Bareham

Speaker

Monique Bareham

Consumer Advisor

Monique believes that all Australians affected by lymphoedema should have affordable access to evidence-based care and self-management support. Monique was awarded the Australian of the Year, South Australian Local Hero and Joy Nobel Medal in 2022 in recognition of her tireless patient support and advocacy leading to the launch of the South Australian Lymphoedema Compression Garment Subsidy Scheme in 2021, which provides vital compression garments for thousands of individuals affected by lymphoedema. Since then, Monique has taken her advocacy to a national level and is the driving force behind the Federal Parliamentary Friends of Lymphoedema, launched in 2024. Monique sits on several health-related boards and committees as a Consumer Advisor/Lived Experience Expert, and is regularly invited to collaborate on health research projects, assisting with co-designing project proposals, co-authoring papers and presenting at conferences and forums. In 2025, Monique commenced a Master in Health and Clinical Research at Flinders University focusing on Consumer and Community Involvement (CCI) in health research and service delivery.

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Resource details

Lymphoedema - canva
Course type
Webinars
Duration
60 mins
Price
$0.00
Curriculum Area
Prevention, screening and diagnostics
Treatment (incl. Supportive Care)
Clinical Care
Speciality
Clinician
Nurse
Clinical care
Melanoma
Nursing

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