Hm, it looks like I have not blogged in a while. I suppose that’s not a bad thing; this is a cancer and cancer-stuff blog, and there has been blissfully little to say in the cancer department lately. My plan is to keep this blog going until I’m done done – not just cancer done, but all the rebuilding is done too. So I suppose in the meantime updates will be a bit less frequent.

A couple of weeks ago, I got a news alert about the results of an interesting lymphedema study. For the first time ever, it seems like they have a drug that may help to treat, and possibly even reverse, lymphedema. In the study, the researchers were able to uncover the molecular mechanism responsible for triggering lymphedema, concluding that it’s an inflammatory response. The drug they are testing is one that targets the specific leukotriene (the thing in your body that causes inflammation) that was found to be elevated.

Here is the lay-person article, and here is the published study (which I am working on getting a copy of – if anyone reading this happens to have access to it, let me know).

I immediately emailed the lead researcher, and the point-of-contact at the drug company. Both emailed me back immediately. The researcher was a doctor whose name I’d already come across when I was looking into surgical options; he works at Stanford and has a lymphedema clinic there. Who knows, maybe I’ll visit his clinic someday – at least it’s in the same state (ok, it’s a big state…).

Unfortunately I am not a candidate for the clinic trial that is under way. They are currently only recruiting patients with lymphedema in a lower limb; and trial participants must be at least 3 years out from their cancer treatment. But I filled out the registry anyway, and the whole thing is very optimistic.