Recent advances on the treatment of breast cancer-related lymphedema / 中华整形外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Breast cancer-related lymphedema is a chronic, progressive disease that occurs following axillary lymph node dissection. Treatment includes nonsurgical, surgical and biological engineering strategies. Conservative method are mainly used for prevention and in cases of subclinical lymphedema. Surgical options can be divided into two categories: reductive surgery and physiologic surgery. Biological engineering strategies use tissue engineering, stem cells and growth factors to automatically restore the lymphatic vessels. All the aforementioned techniques are not curative and, consequently, further research is imperative to establish a better regiman in management of lymphedema.