New technology is helping medical professionals screen patients for the early signs of lymphedema. Allowing therapists to catch this frightening condition early can make a huge difference in the patient's outcome.

Lymphedema causes fluid retention, swelling, and extreme pain in some cases. It affects up to 30% of patients treated for breast cancer, melanoma and pelvic area cancers. According to research by the National Cancer Institute, anywhere from 5% to 53% of women who have removal, or biopsy, of lymph nodes associated with breast cancer treatment can develop lymphedema.

Kay Karford was one of those women. She played tennis, practiced yoga and had always been active, so occasional aches and pains weren't out of the ordinary when they came up. But in 2019 she started having pain under her arm and went to her doctor just to check things out. A dose of antibiotics seemed to do the trick, but when the pain returned she got checked again — tests, biopsies, the works.

The diagnosis that came back this time was a jaw-dropper. Stage four cancer. Hearing a doctor say the words would be a nightmare for almost anyone. They had discovered a tumor in her breast and suspicious lymph nodes under her arm. A bit of good news came when her diagnosis was changed to stage 3B (meaning the cancer has spread into the surrounding tissue, including some lymph tissue but not to the brain, bones, lungs or liver yet). But surgery, chemotherapy, radiation treatments and anti-estrogen drugs soon followed. Karford's treatments were successful in controlling the progression of her cancer, but for her, like many women, the breast cancer, treatment wasn't the end of the story, or the pain. Soon after she finished radiation treatments she developed lymphedema.

“It wakes you up at night and you can't do normal activities,” Karford said. “It can feel like there's a football under my arm that won't go away. It's very painful.”

Historically, what's made the condition even more insidious is that by the time medical professionals were able to diagnose it, it was often too advanced to get the most benefit from treatment. If caught in its earliest stages, lymphedema can sometimes be reversed. If not, it can be more difficult to effectively treat.

Stephanie Bowman is an Occupational Therapist that works with the oncology community and lymphedema patients. She's been treating Karford, employing a technology called SOZO that's been rolled out in several treatment facilities across the metro area. SOZO does a few different things, but its ability to detect changes in a patient's fluid levels is why Bowman believes it's making older testing methods obsolete. Ideally, when a cancer patient is diagnosed, they could have the SOZO measurement done prior to surgery or radiation. It's a simple, 30-second procedure that helps to establish a baseline reading of the patient's fluid levels. The patient is then measured by the SOZO again after surgery or radiation. If a change in fluid level suggests the beginning stages of lymphedema, treatment can begin immediately, giving therapists the best chance of success in reversing the condition.

According to Bowman, because of the recurring nature of lymphedema, the SOZO procedure can still benefit patients even if they don't get their first reading until after cancer surgery or radiation. That's what happened with Karford. Her initial bout of lymphedema came up before she was referred to Bowman's clinic. Now, her fluid levels are measured by the machine monthly to detect differences that could indicate her lymphedema is returning. Bowman said it can still be effective for women to establish a baseline measurement even years after a breast cancer incident.