Is There Finally a Cure For Lymphedema?

Some studies suggest that lymphedema develops within 5 years in up to 40% of women who have undergone breast cancer surgery and unfortunately, although manageable, often severely restricts activity and is generally considered incurable. Now there is an experimental surgery that may actually cure lymphedema. It is called an Autologous Vascularized Lymph Node Transfer.

How can Autologous Vascularized Lymph Node Transfer cure lymphedema? In this new experimental surgery, the missing lymph nodes are replaced with a handful of healthy nodes transplanted from elsewhere in the patient. Doctors from around the world recently observed Dr. Corrine Becker, the French doctor who pioneered the procedure, perform Autologous Vascularized Lymph Node Transfer in Manhattan. The patient previously had her lymph nodes removed during cancer treatment. Dr. Becker harvested lymph nodes from the patient’s groin and transplanted them to her underarm. The transplanted lymph nodes are expected to connect with lymph vessels and filter waste and drain the fluid that had accumulated in her arm.

What risks are involved with Autologous Vascularized Lymph Node Transfer? If too much tissue is extracted the patient could be injured and lymphedema could be caused in another limb. Prior to transferring nodes to their new location, scar tissue must be removed so that there is nothing impeding the lymphatic channels and preventing fluid circulation. This could potentially affect nerves and blood vessels leading to the arm.

How can I get this procedure? Right now Autologous Vascularized Lymph Node Transfer is in the experimental phase and it has generated a great deal of controversy. Although Dr. Becker claims to have great success with the procedure, she operates primarily in Europe and other countries. At the moment medical experts in North America believe that the procedure should be reserved for patients who don’t respond to conventional treatment. According to Dr. Babak Mehrara, a reconstructive plastic surgeon at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital in Manhattan, “The problem is that some of the science doesn’t support it. It probably works for some people and doesn’t for others.” Clinical trials have begun and hopefully Autologous Vascularized Lymph Node Transfer will live up to its promise.