Researchers have identified a hormone that plays a role in cardiovascular disease and other cell functions which may also be a drug target to treat lymphedema, a condition that causes painful swelling in arms and legs.

By increasing adrenomedullin within the cells of the lymphatic system, the researchers believe that they can encourage the lymph sacs to proliferate and take up more fluid. Not only could this approach provide a new treatment for lymphedema, but it may also prove useful in preventing the spread of cancer because invasive cancers sometimes penetrate the lymphatic vessels and metastasize to distant sites.

"In cancer treatments of the future, patients suffering from these aggressive cancers could be identified early and could be treated with a drug to inhibit the growth of the lymph vessels that transport the cancerous cells, thus keeping the cancer in check," Caron said.

The study has been published recently in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Image Credit: VascularWeb.org