NSU Horizons Fall 2007

horizons 23 study, which also included skin blood flow measure- ments, have recently been published. [Mayrovitz HN, Brown-Cross D, Washington Z (2007) Skin tissue water and laser Doppler blood flow during a menstural cycle. Clinical Physiology and Functional Imaging 2007;27:54–59] According to a second paper recently published in the journal Lymphology by Mayrovitz, [Mayrovitz HN (2007) Assessing local tissue edema in postmastectomy lymphedema. Lymphology 2007;40:87–94] there are indications that edema can be predicted. In that study, tissue water was measured in both arms of 48 women using a new device that allows local tissue water to be simply measured. The device, MoistureMeter-D, was devel- oped in Finland, and works on the principle that the tissue dielectric constant (TDC) is related to the amount of the tissue’s water content in a localized region. In the study, the ratio of TDC values in the affected to the normal arm was used as an index of relative edema. The results showed that, of women that had postmastectomy related lymphedema of one arm, none had a TDC ratio as low as 1.2, whereas none of the control subject’s TDC ratio was as great as 1.2. This important finding suggests that a critical TDC ratio of 1.2 or greater might be a good predictor of lymphedema risks in patients. In order to further test his findings, Mayrovitz has part- nered with Daniel Weingrad, M.D., of 21st Century Oncology in Aventura, Florida. For the next phase of the study, Weingrad will provide 120 mastectomy patient participants over the next 24 months. A past fellow of the National Institutes of Health, he said he is thrilled to be able to participate in such a study. “This is exciting,” Weingrad said. “More and more, as all the advances of all the primary cancer treatments are being developed, we realized that we needed to also focus on the effects of these treatments and address them, seeing if we can do something to make the patients more comfortable.” About 120 patients at Weingrad’s clinic who have had lymph nodes removed or biopsied will be followed from just prior to their surgeries and then for two years afterwards. Suzanne Davey, the director of Healing Hands of Lymphatics Plus in Hallandale, and her team of lymphedema therapists will also be participating in this research study. The researchers will look for signs of swelling and document changes in the arm tissue if there are any. One way of discovering if a patient may be a candi- date for this edema is to biopsy the lymph nodes prior to surgery. “We want to be able to profile the patients who may develop it early,” Weingrad said. Weingrad also said this study should impact breast cancer survivors who have or will develop this uncom- fortable malady. “One of the questions the researchers are asking is who is at risk—heavier patients, older patients—and is there something that can be done about it prior to it happening,” Weingrad said. Mayrovitz said that teaming up with a renowned breast cancer surgeon and a lymphedema treatment center will give this study the expertise and broad base needed to obtain and analyze the needed data to test the underlying hypothesis. “I am always looking for ways to translate and apply basic science and technology to meaningful clinical applications, and this device and approach is just a wonderful way of doing this for a very important clinical problem.” n lisa bolivar is a writer in tamarac, florida.