Publications

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is a leading cause of death in US Hispanic females. This demographic is more likely to present with later-stage disease and require more extensive surgical treatment, including axillary lymph node dissection, which increases risk of lymphedema. The Spanish-speaking Hispanic population has a lower health literacy level and requires materials contoured to their unique needs. The aim of this study was to evaluate online Spanish lymphedema resources.

METHODS: A web search using the Spanish term "linfedema" was performed, and the top 10 websites were identified. Each was analyzed using validated metrics to assess readability, understandability, actionability, and cultural sensitivity using the SOL (Simplified Measure of Gobbledygook, Spanish), Patient Education and Materials Assessment for Understandability and Actionability (Patient Education and Assessment Tool), and Cultural Sensitivity and Assessment Tool (CSAT), respectively. Online materials were assessed by 2 independent evaluators, and interrater reliability was determined.

RESULTS: Online lymphedema material in Spanish had a mean reading grade level of 9.8 (SOL). Average understandability and actionability scores were low at 52% and 36%, respectively. The mean CSAT was 2.27, below the recommended value of 2.5. Cohen κ for interrater reliability was greater than 0.81 for the Patient Education and Assessment Tool and CSAT, suggesting excellent agreement between raters.

CONCLUSIONS: Available online Spanish lymphedema resources are written at an elevated reading level and are inappropriate for a population with lower health literacy levels. As patients continue to use the internet as their primary source for health information, health care entities must improve the quality of provided Spanish resources in order to optimize patient comprehension.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer-related lymphedema affects 700,000 breast cancer survivors in the United States. Although taxane-based chemotherapy regimens are commonly used in the treatment of breast cancer, the impact of taxanes on the lymphatic system remains poorly understood. This study aims to examine the influence of taxane-based chemotherapy on lymphatic function in breast cancer patients.

METHODS: A retrospective review of a prospectively-maintained database was performed. Consecutive patients with node positive breast cancer who underwent preoperative indocyanine green (ICG) lymphangiograms were identified. Information including patient demographics, baseline measurements, cancer characteristics, and treatment information were retrieved. Preoperative ICG lymphangiography videos were analyzed and lymphatic contractility was quantified for each subject. Multiple regions of interest were selected on each lymphatic channel and signal intensity was recorded for 3 minutes to generate contractility curves. Each lymphatic contraction was identified using a novel, systematic, and algorithmic approach.

RESULTS: Twenty-nine consecutive patients with unilateral node-positive breast cancer were included for analysis. Average patient age was 54.5 (13) years and mean BMI was 26.8 kg/m (4). The mean lymphatic contractility of patients who received taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy was 0.7 contractions/minute (c/m) (n = 19) compared to 1.1 c/m in those who received no neoadjuvant therapy (n = 10), (P = 0.11). In subgroup analysis, patients who reported taxane induced neuropathy demonstrated significantly lower lymphatic contractility values than those who were asymptomatic or did not receive any chemotherapy (P = 0.018).

CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we used a novel method for quantifying and evaluating lymphatic contractility rates in routine ICG lymphangiograms. Diminished lymphatic contractility was noted in patients who received taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy compared with those who did not. Taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy may adversely affect the lymphatic system in the breast cancer population. A larger patient cohort with longer follow-up time is needed to validate this finding and evaluate any potential association with breast cancer-related lymphedema development.

BACKGROUND: Axillary surgery and radiotherapy are important aspects of breast cancer treatment associated with development of lymphedema. Studies demonstrate that Lymphatic Microsurgical Preventive Healing Approach (LYMPHA) may greatly reduce the incidence of lymphedema in high-risk groups. The objective of this study is to summarize the evidence relating lymphedema incidence to axillary lymph node dissection (ALND), regional lymph node radiation (RLNR) therapy, and LYMPHA.

METHODS: We performed a literature search to identify studies involving breast cancer patients undergoing ALND with or without RLNR. Our primary outcome was the development of lymphedema. We analyzed the effect of LYMPHA on lymphedema incidence. We chose the DerSimonian and Laird random-effects meta-analytic model owing to the clinical, methodological, and statistical heterogeneity of studies.

RESULTS: Our search strategy yielded 1476 articles. After screening, 19 studies were included. Data were extracted from 3035 patients, 711 of whom had lymphedema. The lymphedema rate was significantly higher when RLNR was administered with ALND compared with ALND alone (P < 0.001). The pooled cumulative incidence of lymphedema was 14.1% in patients undergoing ALND versus 2.1% in those undergoing LYMPHA and ALND (P = 0.029). The pooled cumulative incidence of lymphedema was 33.4% in those undergoing ALND and RLNR versus 10.3% in those undergoing ALND, RLNR, and LYMPHA (P = 0.004).

CONCLUSION: Axillary lymph node dissection and RLNR are important interventions to obtain regional control for many patients but were found to constitute an increased risk of development of lymphedema. Our findings support that LYMPHA, a preventive surgical technique, may reduce the risk of breast cancer-related lymphedema in high-risk patients.

Lymphedema arises from impaired lymphatic function. Quantification of lymphatic contractility has previously been shown using a custom-built near-infrared imaging system. However, to broaden the clinical use of functional lymphatic measurements, these measurements need to be performed using a standard-of-care, clinically available camera. The authors propose an objective, algorithmic, and clinically accessible approach to quantify lymphatic contractility using a 3-minute indocyanine green lymphangiograph recorded with a commercially available near-infrared camera. A retrospective review of the authors' indocyanine green lymphangiography video repository maintained in a Research Electronic Data Capture database was performed. All patients with a newly diagnosed unilateral breast cancer undergoing preoperative indocyanine green lymphangiography were included in the analysis. Patient medical records were then analyzed for patient demographics, and videos were analyzed for contractility. Seventeen consecutive patients with unilateral breast cancers underwent video processing to quantify lymphatic contractility of the ipsilateral extremity in contractions per minute. All patients were women, with an average age of 60.5 years (range, 38 to 84 years). The average lymphatic contractility rate was 1.13 contractions per minute (range, 0.67 to 2.5 contractions per minute). Using a clinically accessible standard-of-care device for indocyanine green lymphangiography, the authors were able to determine lymphatic contractility rates of a normal extremity. The authors' finding falls within the range of previously published data quantifying lymphatic contractility using a research device, suggesting that the authors' technique provides a clinically accessible, time-effective means of assessing lymphatic contractility. Potential future applications include both lymphedema surveillance and evaluation of nonsurgical and surgical interventions. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:: Diagnostic, IV.

The vascularized omental free flap has been described as a reliable option for the treatment of peripheral lymphedema. However, the flap has been associated with venous hypertension which may require venous supercharging or intra-flap arteriovenous fistula creation to offload the arterial inflow. The aim of this study is to introduce and present our experience using a flow-through omental flap as a novel approach to optimize flap hemodynamics. A retrospective review of a prospectively maintained quality improvement database was performed. Seven consecutive patients with unilateral breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) who underwent delayed lymphatic reconstruction using a flow-through omental free flap were identified. In all patients, the right gastroepiploic artery and vein were anastomosed to the proximal end of the radial artery and to one venae comitante, respectively. An anastomosis of the distal end of the radial artery to the left gastroepiploic artery was performed. The flap was then supercharged by anastomosing the left gastroepiploic vein to the cephalic or basilic vein. There were no flap losses or other surgical complications. A distinct advantage of this inset includes the ability to moderate the arterial in-flow to the omental flap to avoid an inflow-outflow mismatch and alleviate venous hypertension. Further study is needed to validate this technique in a larger study sample with longer follow-up.

BACKGROUND: Lymphedema is a chronic condition that carries a significant physical, psychosocial, and economic burden. The authors' program was established in 2017 with the aims of providing immediate lymphatic reconstruction in high-risk patients undergoing lymphadenectomy and performing delayed lymphatic reconstruction in patients with chronic lymphedema. The purpose of this study was to describe the authors' clinical experience in the first year.

METHODS: A retrospective review of our clinical database was performed on all individuals presenting to the authors' institution for lymphatic surgery consideration. Patient demographics, clinical characteristics, and surgical management were reviewed.

RESULTS: A total of 142 patients presented for lymphatic surgery evaluation. Patients had a mean age of 54.8 years and an average body mass index of 30.4 kg/m. Patients with lymphedema were more likely to be referred from an outside facility compared to patients seeking immediate lymphatic reconstruction (p < 0.001). For patients with lymphedema, the most common cause was breast cancer related. Thirty-two percent of all patients evaluated underwent a lymphatic procedure. Of these, 32 were immediate lymphatic reconstructions and 13 were delayed lymphatic reconstructions. In the authors' first year, 94 percent of eligible patients presenting for immediate lymphatic reconstruction underwent an intervention versus only 38 percent of eligible lymphedema patients presenting for delayed lymphatic reconstruction (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: First-year review of our lymphatic surgery experience has demonstrated clinical need evidenced by the number of patients and high percentage of outside referrals. As a program develops, lymphatic surgeons should expect to perform more time-sensitive immediate lymphatic reconstructions, as evaluation of chronic lymphedema requires development of a robust team for workup and review.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer-related lymphedema affects more than 400,000 survivors in the United States. In 2009, lymphatic microsurgical preventive healing approach (LYMPHA) was first described as a surgical technique to prevent lymphedema by bypassing divided arm lymphatics into adjacent veins at the time of an axillary lymph node dissection. We describe the first animal model of LYMPHA.

METHODS: In Yorkshire pigs, each distal hind limb lymphatic system was cannulated and injected with a different fluorophore (human serum albumin-conjugated indocyanine green or Evans Blue). Fluorescence-assisted resection and exploration imaging system was used to map the respective lymphangiosomes to the groin. Baseline lymphatic clearance of each hind limb lymphangiosome was obtained by measuring the fluorescence of each dye from centrally obtained blood samples. A lymphadenectomy versus lymphadenectomy with LYMPHA was then performed. The injections were then repeated to obtain clearance rates that were compared against baseline values.

RESULTS: Human serum albumin-conjugated indocyanine green and Evans Blue allowed for precise lymphatic mapping of each respective hind limb using fluorescence-assisted resection and exploration imaging. Lymphatic clearance from the distal hind limb dropped 68% when comparing baseline clearance versus after a groin lymphadenectomy. In comparison, lymphatic clearance dropped only 21% when comparing baseline clearance versus a lymphadenectomy with LYMPHA.

CONCLUSIONS: We describe the first animal model for LYMPHA, which will enable future studies to further evaluate the efficacy and potential limitations of this technique. Of equal importance, we demonstrate the power of optical imaging to provide real-time lymphatic clearance rates for each hind limb.