Abstract
More than 1 million women worldwide develop breast cancer every year [ 1]. For many of them, surgical removal of the breast remains the first line of treatment for this potentially deadly disease. Because breast cancer cells spread via lymph vessels, at the time that the breast is resected, locally involved lymph nodes in the armpit and part of the axillary lymphatic network are usually also removed. Consequently, normal drainage of lymph is often interrupted, causing swelling of the affected arm due to lymph accumulation—a condition termed lymphedema. Acquired lymphedema in humans may also result from irradiation, trauma, or (parasitic) infection.
Highlights
More than 1 million women worldwide develop breast cancer every year [1]
The new mouse model of acquired lymphatic insufficiency reported by Tabibiazar et al in PLoS Medicine [5] may help to overcome some of these obstacles
How did the authors develop and characterize the model? Microsurgical ablation of the lymph vessels in the tail of the mouse resulted in lymph stagnation, lymph vessel dilation, accumulation of fibroblasts, fat, and skin cells, impaired clearance of immune cells from the tail, and profound accumulation of inflammatory cells
Summary
More than 1 million women worldwide develop breast cancer every year [1]. For many of them, surgical removal of the breast remains the first line of treatment for this potentially deadly disease. Normal drainage of lymph is often interrupted, causing swelling of the affected arm due to lymph accumulation—a condition termed lymphedema. The tissues affected by lymphedema are prone to persistent inflammation and infection [2,4]. Close to 400 years after the discovery of lymph vessels, there is still no cure for lymphedema, and current. Medical practice still relies on ancient procedures, such as manual lymph drainage via massage. A better knowledge of the molecular cues underlying the abnormalities that characterize the inflammatory tissue response to lymph stagnation is urgently needed to provide novel perspectives for lymphedema treatment. There is still no cure for lymphedema, and current medical practice relies on ancient procedures. The new mouse model of acquired lymphatic insufficiency reported by Tabibiazar et al in PLoS Medicine [5] may help to overcome some of these obstacles
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