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Mandy Wilke, a 34-year-old Minnesota resident, thought she only had two and a half years to live.
She was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, which had spread to her liver. Doctors wanted her to start treatment right away, but after hearing the prognosis, she decided to change oncologists.
Wilk, now 42, told USA TODAY, “I really wanted an oncologist who had a longer-term outlook.'' “I was transferred to another oncology facility and received treatment there.”
Eventually, doctors discovered cancer in her lungs, and she learned: dream programhoused at Northwestern Medicine's Canning Thoracic Research Institute. Doctors in this program treat cancer patients who have no other options with double lung transplants.
Surgeons have performed more than 40 lung transplants. They track patient progress in a registry.
“I was really worried that I wouldn't be eligible for the surgery,” Wilk said, adding that typically, to qualify for the program, you must not have cancer anywhere else in your body. . At this point, she also had cancer in her liver.
“I was mostly nervous during the exam that something would show up somewhere else, but I wasn't nervous about the actual surgery,” she said.
Wilk underwent surgery in June and is doing well, she told USA TODAY.
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Doctors say the DREAM program is the only program of its kind in the United States.
Dr. Ankit Bharat, chief of thoracic surgery and director of the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute, performed Wilk's surgery.
He said the DREAM program typically treats three types of patients:
- Stage 4 lung cancer patient.
- Patients whose cancer started in an organ other than the lungs but has spread to the lungs.
- Patients who have cancer and are undergoing chemotherapy or immunotherapy that has damaged their lungs.
He said the goal is to replace both lungs and eliminate all types of cancer. The fact that many types of cancer can occur in the lungs further complicates matters.
“Every drop of blood in our bodies has to pass through the lungs, which is one of the biggest reasons why the lungs are the most common organ for cancer metastasis,” he says.
Bharat said double lung replacement is a major surgery for any patient because it requires doctors to remove two of the body's largest organs.
“It's a very extensive surgery for anyone to go through that process,” he says. “Phase 4 patients who have received chemotherapy and immunotherapy have some level of weakness.”
It's also a delicate process, as doctors work with millions or even billions of cancer cells. He said they need to make sure cancer cells have not spread throughout the patient's body.
Bharat performed Wilk's lung transplant surgery on June 3, and said her recovery time shocked doctors.
“She only spent a week there and was immediately discharged and returned home,” he said. “She also didn't have to go to a rehabilitation center, which almost 90 percent of patients do.”
Before being released, Wilk had to reach certain milestones, including becoming strong enough to walk and support himself.
Bharat said doctors under the DREAM program performed the first double lung transplant on a COVID-19 patient.
“We expanded on that and applied the lessons we learned when removing lungs from severely infected COVID-19 patients,” he said. “We had to remove all of the severely infected lungs without spreading the microorganisms in the body.”
Mr Bharat stressed the need for further input on treatment. In Wilk's case, one doctor told her there wasn't much they could do, but her persistence led to treatment that changed her life.
“If she hadn't done her due diligence, she wouldn't be alive right now,” he said.
Details of Wilk's treatment
When Wilke was first diagnosed with colon cancer in 2017, she underwent a variety of treatments, including chemotherapy and removal of tumors from her liver when the cancer spread.
She also underwent a liver transplant at the University of Chicago in June 2020. Her donor was her brother Adam.
But things changed soon after that. Doctors at the university monitored her and discovered signs of cancer in her lungs six months later.
Because the cancer was in different locations in both of her lungs, she was not a candidate for a lung resection. remove part of the lung To treat diseases.
Wilk underwent further treatment, but the tumor was growing, she said. Her medical oncologist in Minnesota kept in touch with a doctor at Northwestern Medical School in Chicago, who eventually told her about the health system's DREAM program.
After undergoing surgery in June, she said she was able to ring the transplant bell to mark the completion of her treatment.
“It was really a coincidence that it happened to be my birthday, but I was so excited,” she said.
Road to recovery: What's next for Mandy Wilke?
Wilk is getting back to doing the things he did before his diagnosis, like running. Her interest in running began during her college years. She loves spending time outdoors and finds it to be a good stress reliever. She is now trying to strengthen her lung capacity by walking.
She is also a member of an organization founded by her brother. honor. Wilk previously worked as a classroom teacher and is now a curriculum and instruction specialist for schools in Minnesota.
The group, Mundy's Foundation, raises money for art therapy and childhood education at the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago.
“I remember thinking, at the same time I'm going through all these treatments, my kindergarteners are going through all these treatments, and how sad that is,” Wilke said. “A child can't imagine that.”
She encourages patients to advocate for themselves and seek multiple opinions.
“One place might say no, but the doctors, nurses, and everyone at Northwestern provided me with the best care I've ever received. Everyone was so thoughtful. , they treat me like a human being.”
Saleen Martin is a reporter for USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia. – 757. Follow her on Twitter.@SaleenMartin or email her[email protected].
