International News

Lymphormation.org will be publishing regular international news with contributions from respected worldwide names in the area of Lymphoedema.

News index:

The Welsh Assembly Government's Lymphoedema Strategy

A new strategy to improve access to high quality services for patients with lymphoedema has been announced by Health Minister, Edwina Hart.

Lymphoedema - the chronic swelling of the limbs - is a chronic debilitating condition and affects individuals physically, psychologically and socially.

It is estimated that around 6,000 people in Wales have lymphoedema.

Click here to download the PDF.

Neglected Tropical Diseases - The Living Proof Project

October 2009, press release: www.livingproofproject.org

Significant progress towards the elimination and eradication of neglected tropical diseases has been made in the last decade. Development of public-private partnerships, drug donations from major pharmaceutical companies, increased country and international agency commitment, and effective intervention strategies have led to dramatic declines in rates of infection from these debilitating diseases.

Over the last five years, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)— a group of debilitating infectious diseases that contribute to extreme poverty—have been the focus of increased attention. Countries, supported by a variety of global initiatives, have made remarkable headway in combating NTDs—including diseases such as leprosy, lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis), onchocerciasis (river blindness), schistosomiasis (snail fever), and trachoma—and guinea worm may be the next disease eradicated from the planet.

Click here to download the PDF.

The end of lymphatic filariasis?

13 May 2009, posted in: BMJ

Many programmes to improve health in poor countries are struggling to meet their targets, but as Moses Bockarie and David Molyneux report, elimination of lymphatic filariasis has a real chance of success.
Click here to view the article

Study links arm/hand swelling to number of lymph nodes removed during breast cancer surgery (USA)

23 April 2009, posted in: Medical Research News
Please note: this text has been extracted 'as is' from the above website, and therefore contains spelling relevant to the country of publication.

In older breast cancer survivors, the number of lymph nodes removed during surgery and the presence of cancer in the lymph nodes were the two factors most directly linked to the development of lymphedema, swelling of the arm and hand, according to a study from the Medical College of Wisconsin's Center for Patient Care and Outcomes Research in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

"Lymphedema causes physical discomfort and disability, as well as a cosmetic deformity which can lead to anxiety, depression and emotional distress that can affect a woman's activities of daily living and quality of life," says lead author Tina Yen, M.D., M.S., a Medical College of Wisconsin surgical oncologist who practices at Froedtert Hospital, a major hospital affiliate. "For these reasons, lymphedema is probably the most feared complication among breast cancer survivors. A better understanding of its risk factors is needed to help improve outcomes."

The study appears online, in advance of publication in the April issue of Annals of Surgical Oncology. It is significant because there are few large, population-based studies on this topic looking at long-term outcomes from more than one institution, and much of the existing literature was written 20-30 years ago, when more extensive surgeries to the breast and armpit (axilla) were performed and use of radiation therapy to the armpit was more common.

The researchers conducted three phone surveys between 2005 and 2007 among 1,338 community-dwelling women, ages 65-89 years, who were identified by Medicare claims as having undergone initial breast cancer surgery in 2003. These 1,338 women were treated by 707 surgeons. Four years after surgery, 14 percent self-reported having lymphedema.

Women who developed lymphedema were more likely to have more extensive disease, have undergone more extensive surgery and received chemotherapy. However, after controlling for a woman's age, tumor size, type of surgery, other therapies and surgeon volume, the removal of more than five lymph nodes and the presence of cancer in the lymph nodes were the only two factors that predicted a risk for lymphedema. Most importantly, the number of lymph nodes removed is more predictive of the risk for lymphedema rather than the type of axillary surgery performed (sentinel lymph node biopsy versus axillary node dissection).

If no lymph nodes were removed, the risk for lymphedema was 4.7 percent. Removal of up to five lymph nodes did not increase the risk of lymphedema, when compared to the removal of no lymph nodes. However, the removal of between six and 15 lymph nodes increased that risk five-fold, and removal of 16 or more lymph nodes increased the risk of developing lymphedema by more than ten-fold. Given these findings, all women undergoing any axillary surgery should still be counseled on their risk for lymphedema, although this risk may be minimal for women who have fewer than five lymph nodes removed.

Needs of cancer survivors are ignored by NHS say nurses (UK)

24 March 2009, posted in: Nursing in Practice

Four out of five nurses say the needs of people living with or after cancer in the UK are not being met by the NHS, according to a new survey by Macmillan Cancer Support and the Nursing Times.

Nurses report that following initial treatment, 92% of patients experience physical problems and 96% experience emotional problems but they say these needs are not properly addressed.

A lack of services available to help people adjust to the consequences of cancer and its treatment, insufficient advice about returning to work and how to cope financially make it difficult for patients to get their lives back on track after treatment, according to the nurses.

"It is shocking that so many nurses believe the NHS is failing cancer survivors. Two million people are currently living with a cancer diagnosis and yet our survey shows not all nurses have access to training or can find the services to help these people, many of whom are in desperate need," said Jessica Corner, Chief Clinician at Macmillan Cancer Support.

Only two out of three of the nurses who received training to help care for people with a cancer diagnosis said it had given them adequate understanding and knowledge of the needs of cancer survivors.

People living with and beyond cancer often have difficulty getting their lives back when hospital treatment ends. They may experience emotional problems, side effects such as severe fatigue or lymphoedema, or find it hard to get back to work, pay the bills or start a family.

GAELF 6 Update (Tanzania)

It has been confirmed that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Korea will host the 6th meeting of the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis in Seoul, Korea.

The meeting at present is scheduled for the last week in May 2010, this will be confirmed by a seperate circulation from the GAELF Secretariat.

The report from the last GAELF meeting, GAELF5 Tanzania is available here.