Lymphovenous Canada: Health Watch

Medical artist shows how lymphatic filariasis is caused based on new research MEDICALERT: an international program designed to advise medical personnel on your treatment in the case of an emergency through a bracelet or necklace

Health information, advisories and research into lymphovenous disorders and lymphedema. E-mail us at info@lymphovenous-canada.ca if you have up-to-date information on scientific research you want to share with us. Clinical Lymphedema Research Studies in Canada www.thecochranelibrary.comCanadians with access to the internet now have access to the full library of Cochrane Collaboration, a not-for-profit organization recognized internationally for their work in systemic reviews or summaries of research. Node transplant may help lymphedema's painful swelling Research offers insights on why some lymphedema patients get repeated infections 2-year American research study looks at incidence, treatment costs of BC-related lymphedema Non-contact therapeutic touch effective in pain management, researcher finds Medications that cause or worsen edema (reprinted with permission), by Paula J. Stewart, MD, January/March 2009 edition of Lymphlink, a publication of the National Lymphedema Network. This article notes that up to 900 medications can cause or increase edema in some people with lymphedema, including many which are quite common. Efficacy of pneumatic compression and low level laser therapy in the treatment of postmastectomy lymphoedema, Clinical Rehabilitation, Vol. 23, No. 2, 117-124 (2009):While both groups were found to benefit from both types of treatment in this randomized trial carried out in Turkey, those receiving laser therapy had better long-term results than those receiving pneumatic compression. Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine receives $23 million March 8, 2007, from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a new method to control and treat lymphatic filariasis (tropical lymphedema) A simple and innovative device to measure arm volume at home for patients with lymphedema after breast cancer Saskatchewan researcher heads up a cross-Canada study on lymphedema, pain and limitations to range of motion in breast cancer survivors FDA clears laser-based lymphedema treatment "Unlocking the Drains:After centuries of playing second fiddle to the blood system, our lymphatic circulation is coming into its own as a key player in diseases ranging from cancer to asthma." July 28, 2005 Nature Lymphedema - an underestimated health problem,Q J Med 2003; 96:731–738:This journal article summarizes UK research which looked at lymphedema in South West London which has a population of over 600,000 people. Researchers found that in people over 65 years of age, 1 in 200 had chronic lymphedema. Lymphedema caused time off work in close to 80% of these individuals affecting the employment status in 9%. Quality of life was below normal, with 50% experiencing pain or discomfort from their edema.

LYMPHEDEMA CLINICAL TRIALS Canadian scientist continues his work on the lymphatic system DIURETICS: How effective are they in the treatment of lymphedema?

• Obesity - a major predictive factor for arm edema in breast cancer: At the May 2, 2006 annual meeting of the American Society of Breast Disease (ASBD) Lucy K. Helyer, MD, surgical oncology fellow, Princess Margaret Hospital University Health Network in Canada reported on recent findings from their study which confirms earlier research in this area. Dr. Helyer followed 137 women with breast cancer who underwent sentinel node biopsy. Close to 36% of patients who were obese developed lymphedema in contrast to about 16% of overweight patients, about 7% of normal weight patients and none in underweight patients.
• Prevention and management of arm lymphedema in the patient with breast cancer, The Journal of Supportive Oncology, Sept. 2006: The advent of sentinel lymph node biopsy as an alternative to axillary dissection should decrease the rate of lymphedema. The increasing number of breast cancer survivors and high prevalence of the disease will continue to make lymphedema a significant consequence of breast cancer treatment.
• Chemokine receptor CCR7 required for T lymphocyte exit from peripheral tissues, Nature Immunology, Sept. 2005: Researchers from Stanford University and Professor Jack Hay, University of Toronto suggest that regulated expression of CCR7 by tissue T lymphocytes may control their exit, acting with recruitment mechanisms to regulate lymphocyte transit and accumulation during inflammation.
• New Treatment Found for Advanced Cases of Lymphatic Filariasis (elephantiasis)An international team of researchers has demonstrated the effectiveness of an inexpensive antibiotic, doxycycline, which they say cures most cases of advanced elephantiasis. The antibiotic kills the parasite through indirect means by destroying a bacteria inside the filariasis worm, which the parasite relies on to survive. The study on doxycycline and lymphatic filariasis is published in the June 18, 2005 issue of the medical journal, The Lancet. (Taylor MJ, Makunde WH, McGarry HF, Turner JD, Mand S, Hoerauf A. (2005). Macrofilaricidal activity after doxycycline treatment of Wuchereria bancrofti: a double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial. Lancet 365 (9477), 2116-21.) For more information you can contact Dr. Taylor at: mark.taylor@liverpool.ac.uk
• Could hyperbaric oxygen therapy be helpful in regenerating post-breast cancer treatment tissue and reducing lymphedema?A non-randomized study of 21 research volunteers which showed some improvement in their condition, suggests that further randomized research is called for. Radiotherapy Oncology. 2004 March; 70(3):217-24. Non-randomized phase II trial of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in patients with chronic arm lymphoedema and tissue fibrosis after radiotherapy for early breast cancer.
• The treatment of lymphedema related to breast cancer: a systematic review and evidence summary: Supportive Care in Cancer, June 2004. Cancer Care Ontario's Supportive Guidelines Group (SCGG) employed a systematic review methodology to guide clinical decision making. They found some evidence to suggest compression therapy and manual lymphatic drainage may improve established lymphedema, but further study is needed. Stabilization and/or modest improvement can be expected with daily wear of compression garments morning to night (removing them at bedtime). The use of diuretics was not found to be effective.
• Compression prophylaxis may increase the potential for flight-associated lymphoedema after breast cancer treatment
• Japan's effective treatment of gastric cancer through lymph node dissection
• Cross Cancer Institute in Alberta finds compression bandaging effective; MLD useful in mild lymphedema
• The Hamilton Cancer Centre: a multi-centre study on decongestive lymphatic therapy now underway
• New Brunswick research explores women's experience with breast cancer-related lymphedema
• Canadian scientist Jack Hay reports on the U.S. think tank on lymphatic researchand talks about his own research into the traffic of lymphocytes.
• Pierre-Yves von der Weid at the University of Calgary explains his work on the science of the lymphatic pump.