St. Joseph's Medical Center Begins New Lymphedema Prevention Program to Improve Care for Cancer Patients

(STOCKTON, CA) November 28, 2023  –  Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Medical Center, a provider of comprehensive cancer care to the San Joaquin community, today announced an innovative new program to reduce the impact of secondary lymphedema in breast cancer patients and survivors. The new program will assist breast cancer patients who are at risk of developing lymphedema from surgery, radiation, or taxane-based chemotherapy treatments.

“At St. Joseph’s we continually strive to provide the best possible care for our breast cancer patients,” said Arthur Hill, Director of St. Joseph’s Cancer Institute. “For us this means both delivering excellent care to our patients during treatment and after they have beat the disease. Breast cancer survivorship is growing rapidly as a result of improved treatments, and we are proud to be the first hospital in our market to offer lymphedema prevention as a service to our patients.”

Breast cancer-related lymphedema is characterized by buildup of lymphatic fluid that causes painful and sometimes debilitating tightness and swelling in the affected arm. There are over 290 thousand newly-diagnosed breast cancer patients every year in the U.S. and 80% are at risk of developing arm lymphedema.

The new lymphedema prevention program utilizes the latest lymphedema detection technology called L-Dex. L-Dex is a measurement of fluid buildup in an at-risk limb compared to a healthy limb and is measured on the SOZO® system, graciously funded by the St. Joseph’s Foundation of San Joaquin, which uses a sophisticated technology called bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS). The SOZO test is non-invasive, takes less than 30 seconds to complete, and provides results immediately after the test. At-risk patients receive a baseline measurement and then are measured regularly after treatment. 

For more information on SJMC’s Cancer Institute, please visit here or contact Kellie Ryan at [email protected] for interview opportunities. To learn more about St. Joseph’s Foundation of San Joaquin’s or to support their efforts, please visit here.

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About St. Joseph’s Medical Center 

Dignity Health St. Joseph's Medical Center is a not-for-profit, fully accredited, regional hospital with 355 beds, a physician staff of over 700, and more than 2,700 employees. Specializing in cardiovascular care, comprehensive cancer services, and women and children's services, St. Joseph's is committed to delivering compassionate, high-quality, affordable health care services with special attention to the poor and underserved. As a Sponsoring Institution for Graduate Medical Education, St. Joseph’s supports rapidly growing educational programs for both resident physicians and medical students. In addition to being nationally recognized as a quality leader, St. Joseph's is consistently chosen as the "most preferred hospital" by local consumers. St. Joseph's is the largest hospital, as well as one of the largest private employers in San Joaquin County. Founded in 1899 by Fr. William O'Connor and administered by the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael, St. Joseph's continues to lead the region in medical innovation. St. Joseph's Medical Center is a member of Dignity Health/CommonSpirit Health, a nonprofit Catholic health system with care sites across 21 states dedicated to advancing health for all people. For more information, please visit DignityHealth.org/Stockton.

About St. Joseph’s Foundation of San Joaquin

St. Joseph’s Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose purpose is to raise and administer philanthropic funds to support the needs of St. Joseph’s Medical Center and St. Joseph’s Behavioral Health Center. Together with our board of directors, physicians and other community leaders, the foundation works to encourage public interest and support of St. Joseph’s Medical Center and our many worthy programs, services, and outreach activities in a manner consistent with our values and goals. Learn more at www.supportstjosephshospital.org.