Question 68

Question:

An 82-year-old male presents to his physician with a complaint of leg swelling. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer two years ago. What is the most likely cause of the patient’s edema?

Correct Answer: E.  Occlusion of lymph vessels

A, B, and C all result in net fluid flow into the capillary. Increased capillary permeability is bi-directional, so it won’t result in the pooling of fluid. However, occlusion of the lymph vessels results in interstitial pooling. The prostate cancer diagnosis is a hint of metastatic cancer into the lymph vessels.