Once patients get to stages two and three of lymphedema all they can do is manage their condition. This is why Community Healthcare Systems introduced SOZO lymphedema technology at St. Catherine Hospital. It can detect lymphedema in its earliest stage. This early detection allows patients to prevent lymphedema from advancing.
Normally, without SOZO, the way to detect lymphedema is by measuring the circumference of a limb with a tape measure or by using a Perometer, which can more accurately measure the limb to help doctors assess swelling. However, if swelling already has developed, it may be too late to prevent lymphedema.
Lymphedema is a possible side effect of treatments for various cancers. While many breast cancer patients are aware they may develop lymphedema after treatment, breast cancer patients are not the only ones at risk. Lymphedema also can be found in the legs after pelvic or gynecological surgeries for prostate, cervical, bladder and other cancers, or in the affected limb after melanoma surgery.
Sylvia Gould, DPT, director of Therapy Services at St. Catherine Hospital, said the best way for at-risk patients to take advantage of SOZO is to get tested prior to any cancer treatments and then to have consistent lymphedema surveillance, through follow-up scans.
“The earlier we see a patient in their cancer journey, the better,” Gould said. “We would really like to see them before treatment so we can get a baseline. Because after treatment, they have already got some of the effects of the cancer treatment, and we don’t know where they were before they started.”
Once a patient is at risk for lymphedema, they are always at risk for lymphedema. After the initial SOZO test, patients should get scanned every three months for the first three years, twice a year in years four and five, and once a year after that, Gould said.
With so many ways lymphedema can negatively affect patients’ lives, SOZO is a critical diagnostic technology.
“SOZO gives us a reliable tool to detect lymphedema, which really improves patient outcomes and how our cancer survivors will be able to live their lives. It gives them peace of mind because once they get to the point where they do develop clinical lymphedema, then that is something that will likely affect them for the rest of their lives,” Gould said. “Lymphedema can not only be expensive for the patient, but also time consuming. It affects their lives in a lot of different ways.”
St. Catherine Hospital began the process of implementing SOZO in July 2022 and officially performed the first scan using SOZO technology toward the end of December. Community Healthcare System plans to implement SOZO at additional locations in the future.
While SOZO is an incredible tool, it is only one part of Community Healthcare System’s oncology rehab.
“When we look at an oncology rehab throughout the system, we are addressing many of the functional or quality of life issues that are a result of the cancer or its treatment in therapy,” Gould said. “For years, everyone wanted to focus on lymphedema, but we really need to focus on the bigger patient experience for our cancer survivors. There is so much therapy services can do throughout our system to help patients.”
To learn more about SOZO and Community Healthcare System’s other oncology rehab services, visit comhs.org.