From the first moment my wife discovered
she had breast cancer, there was a deafening silence from the men I know. Even
ones whose wives, mothers or girlfriends had breast cancer seemed to have received
a gag order from some Central Cancer Command and did little more than mumble about
the experience. Not one to shut up for any known reason, I started this blog…
Every month, I’ll be highlighting breast cancer
research that is going on RIGHT NOW! Harvested from different websites, journals
and podcasts, I’ll translate them into understandable English and share them
with you. Today: A Cure for Lymphedema?
As this is only a brief review of an article I can’t find, I’m going to
quote it in its entirety:
“Making Headway Against a Common and Disruptive Problem: Lymphedema
We owe patients complete information, navigation for decision-making
and, of course, more research into this common problem. Initiating public
dialogue and education is the first step.
BY DEBU TRIPATHY, M.D.
PUBLISHED AUGUST 23, 2019
“Many patients are not aware that lymphedema can be a consequence of
surgery and radiation, common treatments used for many cancer types. Lymphedema
refers to swelling — often chronic — of the arms, legs or other regions of the
body because of damage to the lymphatic system. It is usually a result of
surgery, often done to cure or treat cancer, and can be worsened when radiation
is given to lower the risk of recurrence or to relieve cancer-related symptoms.
Over the past few decades, we have been able to better under- stand the
procedures and other patient factors that increase lymphedema risk. This can
help with the complicated decision-making process that balances the benefit of
the proposed treatment (such as better curability) against long-term
consequences that may affect quality of life and function.
“One of our feature articles in this issue of CURE® highlights newer
therapies that can reduce lymphedema when standard physical therapy and
compression protocols are not sufficiently effective. This may change the whole
equation for the difficult balancing act, making it more feasible to choose
therapies that, although effective, are likely to cause lymphedema. Newer
approaches that can reestablish lymphatic flow are still being refined and
studied and are showing favorable results. These require microsurgical
techniques to splice tiny veins and bypass the lymphatic networks that are
constricted because of local cancer treatments. One procedure actually
transplants nodes and their microvasculature from an unaffected part of the
body to the appropriate area, where it can help drain edema. These procedures
are not yet widely available, but they are continually being innovated and, if
longer-term results hold up, likely to be adopted by more centers.
“Although the highly technical developments are very important, it is
para- mount that, prior to surgery, patients fully understand the risks of lymphedema.
As the article describes, it is possible to be more selective in recommending
lymph node removal and reducing its use for several types of cancer. We are
still not quite sure how to effectively prevent lymphedema after surgery, but
there is evidence that a patient can begin exercise and stretching once
surgical healing is mostly complete. Ongoing studies are examining whether
nonstrenuous exercise and even structured weightlifting — once forbidden for
at-risk patients — can help. We still tell patients to avoid blood draws and
blood pressure detection in the arm that underwent lymph node surgery and use
compression sleeves during air travel, even though some experts now discount
these restrictions.
“We owe patients complete information, navigation for decision-making
and, of course, more research into this common problem. Initiating public
dialogue and education is the first step.”
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