Double Lung Transplant Offers New Hope for Mother and Twin Children

In a groundbreaking medical case, Cornelia Tischmacher, a 48-year-old mother of twins from Berlin, received a life-saving double lung transplant after battling advanced lung cancer. Her journey highlights the potential of innovative transplant programs for patients with lung malignancies. Just eight months after giving birth to her twins, Tischmacher’s pneumonia persisted, prompting her to seek medical attention. Tests revealed she had stage 3 lung cancer, a diagnosis that shocked her as an active nonsmoker with a vibrant career as an art historian and gallerist.

Determined to fight for her children’s future, Tischmacher's condition worsened despite undergoing multiple treatments, including surgery, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. Her cancer progressed to stage 4, causing her lungs to fail and leaving her with limited options. Recognizing her critical condition, her medical team in Germany referred her to the United States, where she was treated at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago.

At Northwestern, Dr. Ankit Bharat and his team performed her double lung transplant in December 2024 under the trial program called DREAM. This innovative initiative allows select patients with localized lung cancers to be considered for transplantation, providing a new avenue of hope for cases previously deemed inoperable.

The surgical procedure involved full heart-lung bypass, carefully removing her cancer-affected lungs, and meticulously washing the chest cavity to eliminate cancer cells before implanting new lungs. Despite the complexity, the procedure was successful, and Tischmacher was able to recover in Chicago for a week before returning to her life in Germany. Her husband and children, who remained in Berlin to continue their routines, visited during her recovery.

Following her transplant, Tischmacher is now cancer-free, enjoying her time exploring Chicago’s art scene and breathing independently. Her story underscores the growing trend of lung cancer diagnosed in younger women and non-smokers. Experts at Northwestern emphasize the importance of universal lung cancer screening, advocating for early detection to improve outcomes.

As the first patient from Germany to undergo this procedure at Northwestern, her case demonstrates the expanding possibilities in thoracic cancer treatment and organ transplantation. Medical professionals hope her success will inspire further research and development of transplant options for advanced lung cancers.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-lung-transplant-mother-twins.html