The campaign, introduced prior to the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, encourages patients and loved ones who are newly diagnosed or undergoing cancer treatment to get tested. As part of the "Lymphedema Can't" campaign, patients are invited to educate themselves on the risks of lymphedema and to join virtual events led by advocates for support. Patients are also encouraged to talk to their physician about early lymphedema detection, testing, and avoiding this serious complication in survivorship. The launch follows ImpediMed's own research findings that show more breast cancer patients are driving lymphedema discussions with their doctors and seeking information online about access to prevention programs early in the cancer treatment process.
The "Lymphedema Can't" campaign components include:
- Online educational and resources pages, located at www.impedimed.com/get-tested, that encourage patients to speak with their doctors about early lymphedema detection
- New Lymphatic Education & Research Network online expo page for patients to learn about early detection methods, located at https://lymphaticnetwork.org/expo/impedimed-1
- Facebook and Twitter campaign, located at https://www.facebook.com/impedimed and https://twitter.com/ImpediMed?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor, with which patients can engage
- "Lymphedema Can't Ruin My Survivorship" Facebook Live event on Oct. 9 hosted by Dr. Sheri Prentiss, a breast cancer and lymphedema survivor and founder of ImpediMed collaborator and patient advocacy group, the LIVE Today Foundation; accessible at https://fb.me/e/188MlMSqk. Dr Sheri will discuss the importance of early detection and intervention for cancer-related lymphedema, and how patients can avoid this lifelong chronic condition
- Boston Lymphatic Symposium on Oct. 30, accessible at https://bostonlymphaticsymposium.org/patienthome/, with virtual presentations that aim to increase patient awareness of the best care for their lymphatic disease
"Lymphedema is a devastating side effect of breast cancer treatment that can mean another battle for these individuals. Through our patient-focused educational activities, we want to empower patients by providing them with knowledge to have informed conversations with their cancer care teams, and get tested," said Rick Carreon, Managing Director and CEO of ImpediMed. "Today, routine monitoring and early intervention is possible and can improve patient outcomes by preventing chronic cancer-related lymphedema. We want to make sure that this is widely known and becomes part of the discussion for newly diagnosed cancer patients."
Pat Whitworth, MD, Breast Surgeon and Director, Nashville Breast Center added, "As healthcare professionals, we are responsible for the wellbeing of our patients not only through their cancer treatment journey, but afterwards to ensure the highest quality of life. Lymphedema can severely impact the ability of patients and survivors to live freely without a painful, debilitating, and costly condition. Educating breast cancer patients and survivors about the early detection of lymphedema is a critical step toward improving survivorship."
Currently, one in three cancer survivors will develop secondary lymphedema related to their cancer treatment, costing the U.S. healthcare system approximately $7 billion every year. In 2019, ImpediMed introduced a comprehensive Lymphedema Prevention Program to help educate healthcare providers and patients about how the proper protocol can detect and manage lymphedema before it becomes a debilitating, chronic condition. This program utilizes ImpediMed's Test, Trigger, Treat™ protocol for early detection and intervention of cancer-related lymphedema. Routine lymphedema testing of cancer survivors uses the company's FDA-cleared SOZO® Digital Health Platform with BIS (L-Dex®) technology, which measures extracellular fluid. A significant increase in a patient's L-Dex® score is a trigger to evaluate the patient and initiate intervention.
ImpediMed's PREVENT Trial interim results demonstrated that routine monitoring with L-Dex® combined with at-home intervention resulted in a 95% reduction in lymphedema progression at one year. Today, L-Dex® is the only non-invasive, reliable, validated tool to help clinicians identify subclinical lymphedema. The company's SOZO® digital health platform can measure a patient's L-Dex® score with a simple, painless 30-second scan. Monitoring L-Dex® scores allows clinicians across multiple specialties to provide individualized, proactive care that can help improve patient outcomes.
About ImpediMed
Founded and headquartered in Brisbane, Australia, with U.S. and European operations, ImpediMed is a global medical technology company using bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) to generate powerful data to maximize patient health. ImpediMed produces a family of FDA cleared and CE Marked medical devices, including SOZO® for multiple indications, including heart failure, lymphedema and protein calorie malnutrition sold in select markets globally. Visit www.impedimed.com.
About SOZO Digital Health Platform
SOZO, the world's most advanced, noninvasive bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) device, delivers a precise snapshot of fluid status and tissue composition in less than 30 seconds. Using ImpediMed's BIS technology, SOZO measures 256 unique data points over a wide spectrum of frequencies from 3 kHz to 1000 kHz. Results are available immediately online for easy data access and sharing across an entire healthcare system. The FDA-cleared, CE-marked and ARTG-listed digital health platform aids in the early detection of secondary lymphedema, provides fluid status for patients living with heart failure, and can be used to monitor and maintain overall health – all on a single device.
For more information, visit www.impedimed.com/products/sozo
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SOURCE ImpediMed Limited
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