Northwestern Medicine performs organ transplant to cure metastatic colon cancer

CHICAGO — Curing metastatic colon cancer with an organ transplant. That’s what Northwestern Medicine surgeons attempted for the first time in June.

On Wednesday, the team spoke out about the novel procedure they hope will save a 42-year-old patient and others.

Mandy Wilk was given just two years to live when she was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer in 2017. The disease that started in her colon had quickly spread to her liver.

The Lake Zurich native underwent multiple procedures including a colon resection, chemotherapy and ultimately a liver transplant to remove the diseased organ — her brother served as her living donor.

Six months later, the cancer reappeared, this time in her lungs, making survival unlikely once again. But the elementary education specialist wasn’t done fighting.

“I’ve been working and calling and visiting and trying to find answers, and I found them here,” she said at a news conference on Wednesday at Northwestern Hospital. ” I think it’s really important for people to explore all their opportunities when they are given any kind of diagnosis.”

“During the surgery, we were able to meticulously remove all cancer cells from both the lungs and then put brand new lungs in her,” Dr Ankit Bharat, Chief of Thoracic Surgery, said. “It’s not meant to replace any existing cancer treatments. It’s meant to help patients who failed all other options.”

Northwestern thoracic surgeons say their procedure is designed for patients whose metastatic disease is limited to their lungs. They do hope to share their technique with other medical centers so more patients can benefit.

Patients interested in being evaluated for a lung transplant can contact the referral line at 844-639-5864. For more information about Northwestern Medicine’s lung transplant programs, as well as advanced therapies, visit nm.org.