BCLA – ILF Conference 2025 Highlights

Written by: Christine Chandler

New & Noteworthy Products

• PeriKit (PK): Fast, accurate limb measurements; lower-cost alternative to Perometer.

• Nanosalve: Hospital-grade wound gel now available to the public; company interested in collaborating with BCLA to introduce the product to BC.

• Linotrade Wraps: Coban-style compression with pull tabs for improved circulation design. wrapping www.lympholino.com

• Books by Jean LaMantia: Cancer Treatment Nutrition Guide & Complementary Therapies for Lymphedema. Written in 2012 is still relevant today.

 

Keynote Themes

• Dr Wei Chen Keynote address introduced the concept  that lymph system dysfunction is a significant player in many chronic diseases due to the primary function in cleansing the whole body  

• Advocacy Works: A U.S. mother’s 10-year fight for her child’s LE care highlights the power of organized, consistent advocacy team work
  Canadian takeaway: Develop a national advocacy group + unified messaging handbook.

• Presentations from Dr. Wei Chen, Dr. Melanie Thomas & Dr. Stanley Rockson emphasized early diagnosis and  need for comprehensive care team following surgical treatment.

Breakout Highlights

• Low-Resource Care Models (Uganda): Culturally adapted, low-cost diagnostic methods that could inspire approaches for Canadian Indigenous communities.

• Multidisciplinary Teams: Successful LE surgical clinics require coordinated multi disciplinary teams including-surgeons, radiology, nursing, therapists, physiatry, and social work (with dietitians increasingly essential).

• Global Experiences:

Italy: presented their 35 yr. Journey to establish national LE guidelines, diagnostic codes. And a network of treatment facilities.

Montreal: Intensive advocacy effort by an  Angry Ladies Brigade” to preserve  lymphedema services offered by the team under Dr Anna Towers.This clinic has never been funded within Quebec’s health system.

Research & Clinical Insights

• LE is increasingly understood as an inflammatory condition: research on GLP-1 blockers, beta blockers, and the importance of adequate sleep for the lymph system to work more effectively.

• Nutrition & Obesity: Rising obesity rates drive LE risk. New concepts include Sarcopenic Obesity and Mystagogs (fat infiltrating muscle).

Key Takeaways

• LE care gaps are global—patients often treated as “persona non grata.”

• Early diagnosis saves money and improves outcomes.

• Canada’s geography + provincial health systems make national standards challenging.

• Important to have contacts within the health system to collect data and have the ear of those managing the budget.

• BCLA’s initiative for early cancer-related LE screening and our collaboration with BC Cancer physiotherapists is having positive results.

Short Report from Christine