Lymphedema — Microvascular Breast Reconstruction With Lymph Node Transfer
Citation(s)
Chang EI, Masià J, Smith ML Combining Autologous Breast Reconstruction and Vascularized Lymph Node Transfer. Semin Plast Surg. 2018 Feb;32(1):36-41. doi: 10.1055/s-0038-1632402. Epub 2018 Apr 9. Review.
DiSipio T, Rye S, Newman B, Hayes S Incidence of unilateral arm lymphoedema after breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Oncol. 2013 May;14(6):500-15. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(13)70076-7. Epub 2013 Mar 27. Review.
Engel H, Lin CY, Huang JJ, Cheng MH Outcomes of Lymphedema Microsurgery for Breast Cancer-related Lymphedema With or Without Microvascular Breast Reconstruction. Ann Surg. 2018 Dec;268(6):1076-1083. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000002322.
Executive Committee The Diagnosis and Treatment of Peripheral Lymphedema: 2016 Consensus Document of the International Society of Lymphology. Lymphology. 2016 Dec;49(4):170-84.
Nguyen AT, Chang EI, Suami H, Chang DW An algorithmic approach to simultaneous vascularized lymph node transfer with microvascular breast reconstruction. Ann Surg Oncol. 2015 Sep;22(9):2919-24. doi: 10.1245/s10434-015-4408-4. Epub 2015 Jan 27.
Pappalardo M, Patel K, Cheng MH Vascularized lymph node transfer for treatment of extremity lymphedema: An overview of current controversies regarding donor sites, recipient sites and outcomes. J Surg Oncol. 2018 Jun;117(7):1420-1431. doi: 10.1002/jso.25034. Epub 2018 Mar 24. Review.
Interventional studies are often prospective and are specifically tailored to evaluate direct impacts of treatment or preventive measures on disease.
Observational studies are often retrospective and are used to assess potential causation in exposure-outcome relationships and therefore influence preventive methods.
Expanded access is a means by which manufacturers make investigational new drugs available, under certain circumstances, to treat a patient(s) with a serious disease or condition who cannot participate in a controlled clinical trial.
Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.
Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.
