A New Approach to Treat Lymphedema
By Michelle Fiscus, Senior VP & Chief Communications Officer
For many people living with lymphedema, the condition changes far more than their health. It changes how they dress, how they move through the world, and even how comfortable they feel in public.
“Lymphedema is a medical condition where bodily fluids accumulate, commonly in the limbs,” said Martin Tanaka, a professor of engineering at Western Carolina University. “When you have more fluid going into a limb than is coming out, it can build up.”
The buildup may sound small at first. “As little as two tablespoons of fluid, or about 30 milliliters a day, can cause lymphedema,” Tanaka explained. “That might not sound like a lot. But over the course of a year, that’s like 2.85 gallons.”
The swelling most often appears in the arms or legs and can become a lifelong condition. But for many patients, the physical symptoms are only part of the story. Changes in appearance can cause people to avoid social situations.
In many cases, lymphedema develops after cancer treatments that damage the lymphatic system. Patients who have already endured surgery and chemotherapy can face a new long-term complication. “A lot of times it’s people who have recovered from cancer,” Tanaka said. “But now they have this swollen arm that they’re dealing with. And there’s really not any good solutions for it.”
Today, most patients manage lymphedema rather than treat it. Compression garments and therapy are the standard of care, often requiring daily effort to control swelling. “It looks kind of like a wetsuit,” Tanaka said. “It’s an engineered product with a pressure gradient that forces the fluid upward.” In more advanced cases, surgeons may attempt delicate procedures to reconnect damaged lymphatic vessels, but those approaches are complex, time-consuming, and not widely accessible.
Tanaka believes there may be another way.
“Our device is really focusing on providing additional pathways for flow,” he said.
Rather than repairing damaged vessels, his approach creates an alternate path for fluid to move through the body. The device would be implanted just beneath the skin and designed to work without pumps or electronics. “The nice thing about this design is it’s passive,” Tanaka said. “There are no whirring motor sounds, clicking valves, batteries to charge, or apps to program. Not anything like that.”
That simplicity could make a meaningful difference for patients. Without the need for external devices or ongoing adjustments, the goal is to reduce the daily burden of managing the condition.
“It would lessen the burden,” Tanaka said. “It could improve their health. It could improve their self-image and reduce the healthcare costs of treatment.”
For some patients, the impact of the condition extends into nearly every part of daily life. “It can be difficult to wear normal clothes,” he said. “You may not be able to go out and buy clothes at the store.” Even small improvements in fluid management could restore a sense of normalcy that many patients lose.
Tanaka’s interest in lymphedema began more than a decade ago, when he first came to Western Carolina University and worked on a student project to help patients put on compression garments. That experience introduced him to a condition that affects millions of people but receives relatively little attention.
“It’s really an underserved market,” he said.
Now, his work is being supported by NCInnovation, which helps researchers across North Carolina move promising ideas out of the lab and toward real-world use. For Tanaka, that support has been critical as the project has evolved through multiple iterations.
“From the very start, they were super supportive,” he said. “I didn’t really lose traction because they kept me going.”
Like many innovations, the path forward has not been linear. Designs have changed, approaches have been refined, and new challenges have required new solutions. “Every time I get knocked down, I’m getting back up with something even better,” Tanaka said.
At the center of that process is a focus on the people the technology is meant to serve. “One of the approaches I like to use is human-centered design,” he said. “It focuses on the people rather than on the technology.”
That means starting with patients—understanding their needs, their challenges, and the realities of living with the condition—and building from there. “Understanding people’s needs, developing the technology to meet those needs, and then putting it in front of people, getting feedback, and iterating,” Tanaka said.
Lymphedema is often associated with breast cancer, but it can affect anyone. Injury, surgery, or trauma can damage the lymphatic system and lead to the same condition. For Tanaka, that reinforces the importance of finding better solutions that are accessible to more patients.
“You can reduce their costs and improve the quality of life,” he said.
And ultimately, that is the goal — not just advancing a new technology, but improving how people live.
“It’s about trying to understand the need and figure out where you can make an impact.”