Therapeutic Lymphaticovenular Anastomosis for Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema: A Critical Narrative Review of Comparative Evidence
- 1Department of Oncology, Radiotherapy and Reconstructive Surgery, N.V. Sklifosovsky Institute of Clinical Medicine, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow 119991, Russia
Abstract
This critical narrative review examines clinical outcomes of therapeutic lymphaticovenular anastomosis (LVA) for established breast cancer-related lymphedema and proposes a coordinated outcome assessment. MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched through 6 September 2026. Comparative studies were selected purposively, with clinical series, imaging and physiological studies, and evidence syntheses providing context. We examined outcomes, comparators, follow-up, and study limitations without quantitative pooling. A six-month interim randomized analysis found no convincing between-group differences in the total Lymphedema Functioning, Disability and Health (Lymph-ICF) score or volume measures. The physical domain and reported compression use favored LVA plus conservative treatment. These findings require consideration of outcome hierarchy and multiple comparisons. Selected observational studies reported improvements but were vulnerable to confounding. The proposed framework coordinates a minimum clinical dataset, including prescribed and actual compression use, with optional measurements of anastomosis status, transport, and tissue characteristics. It aligns technical and clinical assessments over time to explore their relationship. The selected clinical findings suggest possible benefits in symptoms and treatment burden but do not establish sustained independence from compression. The framework is a research proposal and does not provide validated rules for patient selection.
Related
- Recurrent Cellulitis in Lymphedema: Integrating Antibiotic Prophylaxis, Conservative Therapy, Local Disease Control, and Lymphaticovenular Anastomosis.
- Short- and Long-term Patency of Prophylactic and Therapeutic Lymphovenous Anastomosis for Extremity Lymphedema: A Systematic Review
- Cross-cultural adaptation and comparative psychometric evaluation of four patient-reported outcome measures for breast cancer-related lymphedema: measurement properties and clinical discrimination
- NUTRITIONAL OUTCOMES AFTER ONE ANASTOMOSIS GASTRIC BYPASS VERSUS ROUX-EN-Y GASTRIC BYPASS: A ONE-YEAR COMPARATIVE STUDY Desfechos nutricionais após derivação gástrica em Y-de-Roux versus derivação gastrojejunal com anastomose única: estudo comparativo de um ano
- Comparative efficacy of different rehabilitation exercise interventions on upper limb function and lymphedema in postoperative breast cancer patients: a network meta-analysis
BibTeX
@article{yusufov2026therapeutic,
title = {{Therapeutic Lymphaticovenular Anastomosis for Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema: A Critical Narrative Review of Comparative Evidence}},
author = {Stiven Yusufov and Evgeniia Iliina and Maria Ermoshchenkova and Igor Reshetov and Olesya Starceva},
journal = {Journal of Clinical Medicine},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/jcm15207909},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/15/20/7909},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Therapeutic Lymphaticovenular Anastomosis for Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema: A Critical Narrative Review of Comparative Evidence
AU - Stiven Yusufov
AU - Evgeniia Iliina
AU - Maria Ermoshchenkova
AU - Igor Reshetov
AU - Olesya Starceva
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/13
JO - Journal of Clinical Medicine
DO - 10.3390/jcm15207909
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/15/20/7909
AB - This critical narrative review examines clinical outcomes of therapeutic lymphaticovenular anastomosis (LVA) for established breast cancer-related lymphedema and proposes a coordinated outcome assessment. MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched through 6 September 2026. Comparative studies were selected purposively, with clinical series, imaging and physiological studies, and evidence syntheses providing context. We examined outcomes, comparators, follow-up, and study limitations without quantitative pooling. A six-month interim randomized analysis found no convincing between-group differences in the total Lymphedema Functioning, Disability and Health (Lymph-ICF) score or volume measures. The physical domain and reported compression use favored LVA plus conservative treatment. These findings require consideration of outcome hierarchy and multiple comparisons. Selected observational studies reported improvements but were vulnerable to confounding. The proposed framework coordinates a minimum clinical dataset, including prescribed and actual compression use, with optional measurements of anastomosis status, transport, and tissue characteristics. It aligns technical and clinical assessments over time to explore their relationship. The selected clinical findings suggest possible benefits in symptoms and treatment burden but do not establish sustained independence from compression. The framework is a research proposal and does not provide validated rules for patient selection.
SN - 2077-0383
ER -