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Christine Wilson, cancer survivor, shares her experiences from the Abramson Cancer Center’s 2015- Focus Melanoma and CAN Prevent Skin Cancer Conferences. In this blog, she discusses new treatments for lymphedema.

Melanoma patients who undergo lymph node dissection have a 20 to 30 percent chance of developing lymphedema—a condition in which damaged or missing lymph nodes can no longer move fluid through the tissue. The fluid backs up and causes swelling, pain, decreased movement and increases the risk of infection and cellulitis. While many patients have their lymphedema managed effectively with physical therapy and appropriate pressure garments, others do not respond to these interventions and can suffer from significant functional and cosmetic problems.

Suhail Kanchwala, MD, described an innovative procedure developed in Europe that involves taking lymph nodes from areas of the patient’s own body, such as the groin or abdomen, and transferring them to the damaged area. The team identifies lymph nodes that are surrounded by a blood supply—an artery or vein and then transplants them as a unit to the patient.

The best candidates for this procedure are patients who have:

• No evidence of any cancer
• Whose lymphedema was caused by surgery
• Who have failed other, more conservative treatment for their lymphedema
• Who have had multiple episodes of cellulitis and severe lymphedema

The technique can be used for both upper and lower extremity lymphedema, and has proven an effective treatment for patients with breast cancer as well as melanoma.