Treatment Options for Lymphedema Patients

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Dr. Joseph Dayan

Dr. Joseph Dayan. Photo by Ethan Kavet.

There’s currently no cure for lymphedema, the uncomfortable swelling that can occur in limbs after the removal or radiation of lymph nodes. But there are symptom-alleviating treatments, many of which are described in an article in Cure.

The article quotes MSK’s Dr. Joseph Dayan, who has performed microsurgery to manage lymphedema for a decade, including lymph node transplant. Dr. Dayan pioneered a technique called reverse lymphatic mapping, through which physicians identify lymph nodes that can be safely removed and transplanted to the affected arm or leg. Patients take three to four weeks to recover from lymph node transplant, and most who undergo it experience improved limb drainage.

Learn more about lymphedema prevention, screening, and treatment at MSK.

Register now – “Abstract to Article: A Publisher’s Perspective on Transforming Abstracts”

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Join us for the next event in our Advancing Authorship series.

When: Wednesday, September 18, 1:30pm-3:00pm
Where: Mortimer B. Zuckerman Research Center, Room 105, 417 E 68th St, New York, NY, 10065 (entrance on 69th Street)

Register now to save your seat! 
We offer complimentary registration and refreshments.

Get insider tips from Elsevier on publishing in The Lancet and other journals, plus advice on transforming your abstract to an article.

Speakers:

  • Angela Welch, PhD, Oncology Publisher, Elsevier
  • Rebecca Cooney, PhD, North American Executive Editor, The Lancet
  • Mark M. Souweidane, MD, Pediatric Neurosurgeon, MSKCC
  • Steven M. Horwitz, MD, Medical Oncologist, MSKCC

 

Accreditation Statement
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA Credit Designation Statement
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Racial Disparities in Oncology Clinical Trials

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A new study in JAMA Oncology reports the existence of racial disparities in clinical trials leading to cancer drug approvals from 2008-2018. The authors state that blacks (22% of expected proportion) and Hispanics (44% of expected proportion) were underrepresented in these trials relative to their proportion among the US cancer population.

Figure 1, Part C: The absolute number of patients of races other than white who participated in pivotal trials leading to FDA approval was considerably low. From: Loree JM, Anand S, Dasari A, et al. Disparity of Race Reporting and Representation in Clinical Trials Leading to Cancer Drug Approvals From 2008 to 2018. JAMA Oncol. Published online August 15, 2019. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2019.1870

Back in 2004, a study published in JAMA indicated that racial and ethnic minorities, women, and the elderly were less likely to enroll in cooperative group cancer clinical trials than were whites, men, and younger patients, respectively. A more recent ProPublica examination showed that black people and Native Americans are under-represented in clinical trials of new drugs, even when the treatment is aimed at a type of cancer that disproportionately affects them.

Dr. Mona Fouad suggests that one possible strategy to increase minority participation in clinical trials may be patient navigators. A 2016 study she co-authored on patient navigation demonstrated that the patient navigation model “holds promise as a strategy to reduce disparities in cancer clinical trial participation” and that “future studies should evaluate it with racial/ethnic minorities across cancer centers.”