Dr. Joseph Dayan is a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon at the Institute for Lymphatic Surgery and Innovation, a division of the Institute for Advanced Reconstruction. Doctors have traditionally focused on treating cancer rather than long-term effects such as lymphedema, a swelling condition caused by dysfunction of the lymphatic system. New surgical techniques such as lymph node transplants and lymphovenous bypasses can help reconstruct the lymphatic system and reduce lymphedema symptoms.

Joseph explains, "Lymphedema is swelling, usually most often in the arms or legs, that’s permanent and often gets worse over time caused by dysfunction of your lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is basically the sewage system of the body. It clears out fluid waste from your body’s tissues and channels that waste into your lymph nodes, which are part of your immune system that has billions of immune cells that kill bacteria and purify that waste. That fluid then goes back into your veins and back in the bloodstream. When that’s not functioning, that fluid can get backed up, causing swelling in all parts of the body, but also infection, sometimes even life-threatening infections. It is currently incurable, and generally, it gets worse over time, as chronic diseases tend to do."

"There are some types of chemotherapy that do cause problems with the lymphatic system, the taxane therapies like Cytoxan, but most commonly for patients undergoing removal of their lymph nodes, the removing of the lymph nodes or radiation to the lymph nodes or both are the most common cause of cancer-related lymphedemas."

"I think there are two reasons. Historically, lymphedema was not something typically seen by a doctor or treated by an MD. It’s a disease typically sent to a physical therapist or occupational therapist specializing in lymphedema therapy without being able to offer treatment. I think doctors focus on those things that they can help with. And so one part I think in the MD’s mind is that there’s not a whole lot you can do for it. The other part is at the time of the cancer diagnosis, understandably, the cancer is number one, two, and three priorities, and the consequences of cancer treatment fall a distance second." 

#Lymphedema #Cancer #LymphedemaAwareness #BreastReconstruction #LymphovenousBypass #LymphNodeTransplant #LymphaticSurgery #LymphedemaTreatmentAct #GLP1

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