Hope? An Article out of a newspaper "The Age" in Australia...

Cure hope rises for lymphoedema
By Amanda Dunn
Health Reporter
August 16, 2003
Melbourne scientists have discovered a potential cure for the chronic, fluid-retaining condition lymphoedema by replicating the way the body grows new lymphatic vessels.
By mimicking the way genes produce the proteins VEGF-C and VEGF-D, which make lymphatic vessels grow, researchers at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research in Parkville have been able to generate new lymphatic vessels in animals. The new vessels transported the fluid that causes swelling in lymphoedema away from the tissue, reversing the condition.
Researchers Marc Achen and Steven Stacker said the next step would be to try this method on humans, in the hope that it might replace damaged lymphatic systems.
The lymphatic system transports fluid around the body, cleanses body tissue and filters dangerous bacteria, for example, the swelling that occurs when someone twists an ankle is resolved by the lymphatic system.
When it has cleansed the tissue, the fluid returns to the bloodstream, but in people with lymphoedema that does not occur, causing chronic, and often uncomfortable, swelling in the limbs.
While one in 6000 Australians is born with the condition, it can be caused as a result of surgery. It is commonly found in women who have had Breast Cancer surgery, as the lymph nodes are often removed to prevent the cancer spreading.
The manager of the lymphoedema clinic at the Mercy Hospital for Women, Penelope Sanderson, said the research was "absolutely wonderful" news for lymphoedema sufferers, because the condition was now incurable, and not well understood. People with lymphoedema suffered socially as well as physically from the condition, she said, as they felt embarrassed by their swollen limbs.
Lymphoedema sufferers were prone to the skin infection cellulitis, for which they had to be monitored.
Treatments now include compression garments to move the fluid away from the swollen area and special exercises.
Dr Achen said the research team would look at how well the growth of the new lymphatic vessels could be controlled, and at starting human trials.
This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/08/15/1060936056009.html
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