Lymph node scan boost for cancer

CANCER patients blighted by swollen limbs can benefit from a new scan that predicts if treatment to reduce the swelling is likely to work.

Some 400,000 people suffer from lymphoedema – where fluid collects in parts of the body. Most cases are due to cancers damaging the lymph nodes – nodules that filter fluids to break down waste products.

Excess fluid can be drained from the node during surgery. But fatty deposits in the nodes can make it impossible to drain, and current scans do not differentiate between fat and fluid. The new tool – Dixon sequencing MRI – produces a ‘map’ that shows distribution of fat and water.

Plastic surgeon Professor Dominic Furniss said the scan, which has been pioneered by The Oxford Lymphoedema Practice, helps doctors predict surgical results ‘with a high degree of accuracy’.