"A Wisconsin woman traveled hundreds of miles to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington for a delicate operation replacing underarm lymph nodes lost in cancer surgery. A small but growing number of hospitals offer the procedure. See photos.    A Wisconsin woman traveled hundreds of miles to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington for a delicate operation replacing underarm lymph nodes lost in cancer surgery. A small but growing number of hospitals offer the procedure. See photos.    WASHINGTON AP  Breast cancer treatment left Susan WolfeTank with an arm too painfully swollen to lift anything heavy or even fit into her usual clothing  a debilitating condition that gets little attention and has no cure.    Desperate the Wisconsin woman traveled hundreds of miles to seek a delicate operation  replacing underarm lymph nodes lost in cancer surgery  as a small but growing number of hospitals offer microsurgical attempts at relief from lymphedema that help some patients but not all.    Right in this area feel that  that is your lymph node Dr. David Song of MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington told WolfeTank during a recent checkup.    Song Georgetowns plastic surgery chief had removed healthy lymph nodes from WolfeTanks back and side and implanted them in the affected arm. As the new nodes took root her arm was shrinking. A delighted Songs only caution Take care of them by wearing a compression sleeve as prescribed.    This isnt a cure. I will still have to be careful said WolfeTank  of Hurley Wisconsin. But I will be able to crosscountry ski again just live a normal life. Look at my arm its incredible.    Lymphedema is a chronic swelling often in an arm or leg that in severe cases can be disfiguring impair mobility cause disabling pain harden the skin and lead to infection.    Lymph nodes work like biological pumps in a network thats part of the immune system. They drain watery fluid called lymph that traveling through tiny channels brings nutrients to cells and takes away bacteria and waste material. Lose or damage enough lymph nodes or channels in a particular area and that fluid builds up.    Theres no good count but millions of Americans are estimated to have some degree of lymphedema and while it can be hereditary or result from injury many U.S. cases are a lasting side effect of treatment for a variety of cancers.    Consider breast cancer. While better surgical techniques in recent decades have lowered the risk experts estimate that still about  percent of breast cancer survivors who undergo a sentinel node biopsy  removing a few nodes to check for spreading cancer  will develop lymphedema. That risk jumps to about  percent for women like WolfeTank who need additional lymph nodes removed because of more advanced cancer. Radiation causes further harm.    Yet too often women arent warned about symptoms or checked for early signs when lymphedema is more easily treated said Dr. Sheldon Feldman of New Yorks Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care. He coauthored physician guidelines issued this fall by the American Society of Breast Surgeons on prevention and treatment of breast cancerrelated lymphedema.    Typical patients have had that swelling for a while Feldman said. Now the treatment is an uphill battle.    The main treatment consists of wearing compression bandages and massage to bring down swelling. A lymphedema specialist initially prescribed a large pump that massaged WolfeTanks arm for an hour a night temporarily relieving some of the pain.    But if I used my arm I was back to square one WolfeTank said. I didnt fit into my coat anymore. I live in the snow capital of Wisconsin. Im not supposed to shovel. Weve got to fix this.    WolfeTank had struggled for four years when an oncologist recommended lymph node transfer. The rationale There are more lymph nodes in the bodys trunk than in the limbs  more avenues to drain off fluid  and thus it should be safe to move a few. Hunting for a surgeon WolfeTank found Song who transferred about five nodes along with supportive blood vessels and other tissue hoping theyd grow new channels to drain fluid.    Its not the only option. A technique called lymphovenous bypass reroutes lymphcarrying channels going around damaged or missing nodes to drain into veins instead.    Some surgeons use a variation of that technique protectively in hopes of preventing lymphedema from forming in the first place. During the initial cancer surgery they check which lymphcarrying channels the node removal left dangling  and connect them to blood vessels to drain.    Surgical options offer great potential note the breast surgeons new guidelines. But they dont work for everyone.    About a third of lymph node transfer patients see some positive effect Song said.    And Feldman noted that over about the past decade the microsurgeries have been studied only in small research trials and results vary with surgeon experience. One debate is whether to offer lymph node transfer early before patients build up as much damage as WolfeTank did. Insurance coverage also varies.    Feldmans bottom line Patients considering microsurgery should be evaluated in a comprehensive lymphedema program to determine their best options.    Copyright   The Associated Press. All rights reserved. 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