Breast Cancer: Kathleen's Survivor Story

What happened, in summary

Kathleen Shaffer was diagnosed with right breast cancer in early 2019. She had a lumpectomy and 2 lymph nodes removed in March, followed by chemotherapy and radiation. After finishing cancer treatment, she expected to move forward, but new pain and swelling under her breast and arm became another major problem. Her doctor diagnosed acquired, or secondary, lymphedema. At first, Kathleen began standard lymphedema therapy, which meant compression bandaging, garments and lifestyle changes that could become a lifelong commitment. Looking for another option, she went to Dr. Wei Chen at Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Lymphedema Research and Reconstruction. At her March 2020 visit, Dr. Chen also learned Kathleen had swelling in her legs for years. Testing with indocyanine green lymphography showed her lymphatic system was compromised not only in her right arm, but also in both legs. Kathleen chose lymph vessel transfer, a supermicrosurgery approach meant to move functioning lymph vessels while preserving lymph nodes. On October 22, 2020, Dr. Chen harvested a lymph vessel from under Kathleen’s left armpit and transferred it to her right arm. One day after surgery, her breast pain and swelling were gone, and the swelling in her arm and legs had improved. As of November 2021, 10 months after surgery, she was free of lymphedema symptoms and no longer needed compression garments.