Possibility Opened to Overcome 'Lymphatic Circulation Disorder,' a Common Complication After Cancer Treatment

Seoul Asan Hospital Rehabilitation Medicine Research Team
Develops 'Lymph Channel Sheet' Serving as Lymph Regeneration Pathway
Sheet Transplanted to Severed Lymph Nodes... Restores Lymph Flow

Professor Jeon Jae-yong (left), Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul Asan Hospital, and Dr. Cheon Hwa-young, Institute of Medical Engineering.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] A breakthrough has been made in overcoming 'lymphedema,' a common complication following cancer treatment. A domestic research team has developed an artificial structure that restores the flow of damaged lymphatic vessels.

Professor Jeon Jae-yong of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Ulsan University College of Medicine, Seoul Asan Hospital, and Dr. Cheon Hwa-young from the Biomedical Engineering Research Institute announced on the 1st that when the artificial structure called the 'Lymph Channel Sheet' was implanted in a small animal model with disrupted lymph flow due to lymph node dissection, the interrupted lymph flow was successfully restored, and a reduction in swelling was also confirmed.

Lymphedema occurs due to damage to lymphatic tissue caused by lymph node dissection and radiation therapy during cancer treatment. The interruption of lymph flow causes severe swelling and chronic inflammation in the arms and legs. This significantly reduces the quality of life for cancer patients, but there have been no adequate preventive or therapeutic methods.

The lymph channel sheet developed by the research team serves as a passage to maintain the flow in the disconnected lymphatic segment and acts as a scaffold to support lymphangiogenesis. It is a two-dimensional structure containing microfluidic channels designed to connect the severed lymphatic vessels and is engineered to be relatively easy to perform compared to existing technologies.

As a result of transplanting lymphatic channel sheets into a small animal model with lymph nodes removed, the flow of the severed lymph was confirmed to be restored.

The research team confirmed by injecting contrast agents into small animals implanted with the lymph channel sheet that the lymph flow passing through the axillary lymph nodes was successfully maintained through the implanted lymph channel sheet, as anatomically verified. This was also observed non-invasively through advanced fluorescent lymphangiography. In particular, when comparing swelling changes over eight weeks between small animal models with lymph node dissection and those implanted with the lymph channel sheet after lymph node dissection, the swelling in the sheet-implanted model significantly decreased from the second week and returned to normal levels after seven weeks.

Furthermore, histological examination of the implanted lymph channel sheet revealed newly formed microvessels and microlymphatic vessels along the channels inside the sheet. This indicates that the lymph channel sheet not only maintains lymph flow in cases of disruption but also provides an environment that supports the regeneration of new lymphatic vessels.

Professor Jeon Jae-yong stated, “Lymphatic circulation disorders are a common postoperative complication especially among female cancer patients including breast cancer, but appropriate preventive and therapeutic technologies have been lacking. We expect this research to contribute to establishing groundbreaking new prevention and treatment strategies for lymphatic circulation disorders from the perspective of regenerative medicine.”

The research team has obtained a patent for the newly developed lymph channel sheet and is currently preparing clinical studies to complete the new treatment technology. The results of this study were published in the recent issue of the prestigious international journal in biomedical engineering, Bioengineering & Translational Medicine.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.