The analysis included 86 women in whom lymphoedema occurred in the upper limn (ULL) after radical mastectomy. The analysis were carried out in this group of patients, as well as in a control group (patients without ULL) 14 somatic parameters were examined. These parameters were evaluated before the intervention. It was established that among the anthropometric traits examined, only the body mass, hip width, hip-shoulder index, Chest flattening index, BMI index, WHR index, Quetelet's index, Rohrer's index, Pignet-Verwaeck's index assume average values in women with ULL in the preoperative period (statistically significantly different from those which occur in women without this complication(. It was shown that the dispensary group of women ill with breast cancer with a statistically significantly high risk of developing ULL was made up of patients with a large mass (>69.2 kg), WHR (>0.94), Quetele's (>448.7), Rohrer's (>1.76) and Pignet-Verwaeck's (107.7). A slim body build and low indexe values appear to be a factor protecting from this occurrence of the complication.