Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40552796›Full record

ArticleJournal of surgical oncology2025

Epitrochlear and Humeral Lymph Nodes: A Biomarker for Deep Lymphatic Function and Implications for Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema Risk.

James E Fanning, Angela Chen, Sarah Thomson, Elizabeth Tillotson, Aaron Fleishman, John A Parker, Kevin Donohoe, Dhruv Singhal

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of surgical oncology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

James E FanningDivision of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9555-6312
Angela ChenDivision of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Sarah ThomsonDivision of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Elizabeth TillotsonDivision of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Aaron FleishmanDivision of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
John A ParkerDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Kevin DonohoeDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Dhruv SinghalDivision of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6300-1647

Funding

Organ Specific ProjectU54HL165440 · NHLBI · BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER · PI HONG, YOUNG-KWON, SINGHAL, DHRUV · 2022 to 2025
$5.8M
Structural and Functional Remodeling of the Lymphatic System After Axillary Lymph Node DissectionR01HL157991 · NHLBI · BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER · PI Dhruv Singhal · 2021 to 2026
$3.1M
NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL157991NHLBI NIH HHS U54 HL165440This research was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health under award number R01HL157991 (D.S.) and the NIH Common Fund under award number U54HL165440 (D.S.).
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSuperficial to deep system rerouting of lymph protects against breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL). Humeral lymph nodes are a marker for deep lymphatic drainage. Epitrochlear lymph nodes are a site of superficial to deep collateralization based on cadaveric dissections. Functional connectivity between epitrochlear and humeral lymph nodes remains unexamined with in vivo imaging. We utilized lymphoscintigraphy to document epitrochlear and humeral lymph node drainage in healthy volunteers.

methodsHealthy female volunteers received four intradermal hand/wrist injections of 99-Tcm sulfur colloid to each upper extremity and were imaged with SPECT/CT at 2 h. Two nuclear medicine physicians independently reviewed the SPECT/CT scans to document lymph nodes with tracer uptake. A Chi-square test was performed to assess the correlation between functional epitrochlear and humeral lymph node drainage.

resultsA total of 72 arms of 36 volunteers were included. Drainage to epitrochlear and humeral lymph nodes was observed in 57% (41/72) and 51% (37/72) of arms, respectively. Drainage to both epitrochlear and humeral lymph nodes was observed in 40% (29/72) of arms. Epitrochlear and humeral lymph node drainage were absent in 32% (27/72) of arms. The proportion of arms with humeral lymph node drainage was significantly greater in arms with (71%, 29/41) versus without (26%, 8/31) epitrochlear lymph node drainage [χ

conclusionsEpitrochlear and humeral lymph node drainage are significantly correlated, suggesting a superficial to deep pathway may function at baseline in 40% of arms. The absence of epitrochlear and humeral lymph node drainage may represent a biomarker for BCRL risk.

Indexed as

Breast Cancer LymphedemaBreast NeoplasmsHumerusLymphedemaLymph NodesAdultBiomarkersFemaleHealthy VolunteersHumansLymphoscintigraphyMiddle AgedSingle Photon Emission Computed Tomography Computed TomographyBiomarkersbreast cancerbreast cancer‐related lymphedemadeep lymphatic systemlymphaticlymphedemalymph nodeupper extremity

Identifiers

PMID40552796
PMCPMC12826540

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.