History and Current Status of Clinical Staging and Classification

Accurate classification and staging of a disease is crucial for understanding its current condition, including diagnosis, severity, and complications, to be explained in standardized language and the most appropriate treatment plan can be established. This review describes the traditional clinical classification and staging of lymphedema. Despite extensive international efforts to classify and stage lymphedema, there is still no single, standardized method that fully encompasses the disease's pathophysiology or offers a comprehensive view of lymphedema. Combining physical (phenotypic) findings with objective evaluation tool, disability grading, and inflammation assessment is important for forecasting the future evolution of staging.