Mayo Clinic uses microsurgery to help prevent lymphedema after breast cancer treatment
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a Mayo Clinic surgeon is highlighting a procedure that can help restore the flow of lymphatic fluid.
About 2.4 million people are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, according to the World Health Organization.
For some patients, treatment can also lead to lymphedema, a chronic condition that causes painful or uncomfortable swelling.
Dr. Annie Wang of Mayo Clinic in Arizona said many of the patients she sees with lymphedema are women who have undergone breast cancer treatment.
The condition can develop when the lymphatic system is damaged or obstructed.
When lymph nodes in the armpit are removed during treatment, the flow of fluid from the arm can be disrupted, Wang said. She compares it to a traffic jam.
Mayo Clinic surgeons use microsurgery to help prevent or treat lymphedema. The procedure can create a new route for lymphatic fluid by connecting lymphatic channels to a nearby vein.
“We can divert the traffic by making a tiny connection between the lymphatic channels that are interrupted to a nearby vein, so there’s another pathway for the fluid to exit,” Wang said.
Wang recommends that patients who need lymph nodes removed from the armpit ask whether preventive lymphedema surgery may be appropriate at the time of their breast cancer operation.
During the procedure, she said, surgeons can connect lymphatic vessels that would otherwise be cut, creating an alternate pathway for fluid to drain.
To learn more about preventive lymphedema surgery, visit Mayo Clinic’s website.
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