Drug treatment strategies for secondary lymphedema

Secondary lymphedema is a chronic disease caused by lymphatic system dysfunction, which affects about 140 to 250 million people worldwide and has the second highest incidence among disabling diseases. With the advancement of malignant tumor treatment technology and the acceleration of the aging proc...

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Main Authors: Fu Yongda, Duan Man, Pu Luya, Du Jianshi
Format: Article
Language:zho
Published: Editorial Office of International Journal of Geriatrics 2025-07-01
Series:Guoji laonian yixue zazhi
Subjects:
Online Access:http://gwll.publish.founderss.cn/thesisDetails#10.3969/j.issn.1674-7593.2025.04.001&lang=en
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author Fu Yongda
Duan Man
Pu Luya
Du Jianshi
author_facet Fu Yongda
Duan Man
Pu Luya
Du Jianshi
author_sort Fu Yongda
collection DOAJ
description Secondary lymphedema is a chronic disease caused by lymphatic system dysfunction, which affects about 140 to 250 million people worldwide and has the second highest incidence among disabling diseases. With the advancement of malignant tumor treatment technology and the acceleration of the aging process of the population, the incidence of the disease continues to rise. Elderly patients present particular clinical challenges due to age-related lymphatic degeneration, diminished tissue regeneration, and frequent comorbidities. Current therapeutic strategies encompass surgical interventions, complex decongestive therapy, and pharmacotherapy with surgical options offering limited symptomatic relief despite their invasive nature, while complex decongestive therapy proves challenging for elderly patients due to its prolonged duration and modest efficacy. Pharmacotherapy has emerged as a particularly advantageous approach for geriatric populations, combining convenience with favorable safety profiles. Recent breakthroughs in understanding disease mechanisms have identified novel drug candidates that promote lymphatic regeneration through multiple pathways: targeting inflammatory responses, modulating immune microenvironments, stimulating lymphangiogenesis, and inhibiting fibrosis. These multimodal agents offer both symptomatic relief and pathological improvement, presenting new opportunities for developing personalized treatment regimens that balance efficacy and safety for elderly patients. This review systematically evaluates promising pharmacological agents and their mechanisms, with special emphasis on addressing the unique therapeutic needs of aging populations, aiming to advance treatment strategies from symptom control to causative therapy.
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institution Kabale University
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publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Editorial Office of International Journal of Geriatrics
record_format Article
series Guoji laonian yixue zazhi
spelling doaj-art-48fe2b14c3e6442bbf1ae88e836eb1a32025-08-20T03:50:48ZzhoEditorial Office of International Journal of GeriatricsGuoji laonian yixue zazhi1674-75932025-07-0146438539110.3969/j.issn.1674-7593.2025.04.001Drug treatment strategies for secondary lymphedemaFu Yongda0Duan Man1Pu Luya2Du Jianshi3Department of Vascular Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130021Department of Vascular Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130021Department of Vascular Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130021Department of Vascular Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130021Secondary lymphedema is a chronic disease caused by lymphatic system dysfunction, which affects about 140 to 250 million people worldwide and has the second highest incidence among disabling diseases. With the advancement of malignant tumor treatment technology and the acceleration of the aging process of the population, the incidence of the disease continues to rise. Elderly patients present particular clinical challenges due to age-related lymphatic degeneration, diminished tissue regeneration, and frequent comorbidities. Current therapeutic strategies encompass surgical interventions, complex decongestive therapy, and pharmacotherapy with surgical options offering limited symptomatic relief despite their invasive nature, while complex decongestive therapy proves challenging for elderly patients due to its prolonged duration and modest efficacy. Pharmacotherapy has emerged as a particularly advantageous approach for geriatric populations, combining convenience with favorable safety profiles. Recent breakthroughs in understanding disease mechanisms have identified novel drug candidates that promote lymphatic regeneration through multiple pathways: targeting inflammatory responses, modulating immune microenvironments, stimulating lymphangiogenesis, and inhibiting fibrosis. These multimodal agents offer both symptomatic relief and pathological improvement, presenting new opportunities for developing personalized treatment regimens that balance efficacy and safety for elderly patients. This review systematically evaluates promising pharmacological agents and their mechanisms, with special emphasis on addressing the unique therapeutic needs of aging populations, aiming to advance treatment strategies from symptom control to causative therapy.http://gwll.publish.founderss.cn/thesisDetails#10.3969/j.issn.1674-7593.2025.04.001&lang=ensecondary lymphedemadrug therapylymphangiogenesisimmunomodulationanti-fibrotic therapy
spellingShingle Fu Yongda
Duan Man
Pu Luya
Du Jianshi
Drug treatment strategies for secondary lymphedema
Guoji laonian yixue zazhi
secondary lymphedema
drug therapy
lymphangiogenesis
immunomodulation
anti-fibrotic therapy
title Drug treatment strategies for secondary lymphedema
title_full Drug treatment strategies for secondary lymphedema
title_fullStr Drug treatment strategies for secondary lymphedema
title_full_unstemmed Drug treatment strategies for secondary lymphedema
title_short Drug treatment strategies for secondary lymphedema
title_sort drug treatment strategies for secondary lymphedema
topic secondary lymphedema
drug therapy
lymphangiogenesis
immunomodulation
anti-fibrotic therapy
url http://gwll.publish.founderss.cn/thesisDetails#10.3969/j.issn.1674-7593.2025.04.001&lang=en
work_keys_str_mv AT fuyongda drugtreatmentstrategiesforsecondarylymphedema
AT duanman drugtreatmentstrategiesforsecondarylymphedema
AT puluya drugtreatmentstrategiesforsecondarylymphedema
AT dujianshi drugtreatmentstrategiesforsecondarylymphedema