Cacto Health, the Danish femtech startup founded in 2022, has raised 3 million DKK (€400,000) funding to advance the development of technology for early detection of lymphedema, a chronic condition affecting one-fifth of breast cancer survivors.
Business Angels, EIFO Match Loans, and an Innobooster grant participated in this funding round. The amount will be used to support further prototype development and to advance clinical testing on a bigger group of high-risk breast cancer patients.
The company based out of Aarhus is creating a solution that enables at-home monitoring of the early signs of lymphedema, potentially transforming the standard of care for post-breast cancer treatment. Existing diagnostic methods only identify lymphedema when the affected arm has already swollen by 10% compared to the unaffected arm, typically measured with a manual tape measure.
In an interview with The Kitchen, Ida Grønborg, PhD in Human Nutrition from DTU and CEO & Co-founder of Cacto Health, explains “Our solution can measure changes early—before the damage becomes too severe. Intervention can therefore begin much sooner. This way, women can avoid chronic lymphedema and the time spent wearing compression sleeves can be reduced.”
The patients usually need to wear compression sleeves for up to 23 hours daily, often for the remainder of their lives for managing lymphedema, significantly impacting quality of life. This causes pain, limited mobility, and psychological distress, with increased risk of serious arm infections.
Despite addressing a condition that affects a substantial portion of the 10% of European women diagnosed with breast cancer, Grønborg notes that securing investment presented challenges typical in the women’s health space. “It’s an uphill battle standing in front of a room full of men and trying to explain why fluid buildup in the arm after breast cancer is a real problem,” says Grønborg. “Some see it as a cosmetic issue—but it’s about quality of life, pain, reduced mobility, risk of serious infection in the arm, and psychological burden.”
Cacto Health emerged from the Novo Nordisk Foundation-supported BioMedical Design innovation program, where Grønborg partnered with industrial designer Mads Skak to address this underserved market in cancer survivorship care.
