Objectives/Hypothesis To determine the effects of complex decongestive physiotherapy (CDP) and home programs on external lymphedema, staging of lymphedema, fibrosis, and three‐dimensional (3D) surface scanning and volume evaluation in head and neck lymphedema. Study Design A prospective randomized controlled study. Methods Twenty‐one patients were randomly divided into three groups: CDP (n:7), home program (n:7), and control (n:7). Assessment methods were applied at baseline and 4 weeks later for all groups. MD. Anderson Cancer Center Head and Neck Lymphedema Protocol was implemented to evaluate head and neck external lymphedema, staging of lymphedema, and fibrosis. A 3D scanner and a software were used to determine and calculate the volume of the head and neck region via 3D surface scanning. Head and neck external lymphedema and fibrosis assessment criteria were performed to evaluate visible soft tissue edema and the degree of stiffness. Results The severity and volume of lymphedema decreased in the CDP program group (P < .05). Besides, external lymphedema and fibrosis at submental region were decreased in both CDP program and home program groups (P < .05). Conclusions While the benefits of home program are limited, a CDP program may be more effective in the management of lymphedema and fibrosis in patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer. The clinical trial registration number: NCT04286698, date: 02/25/2020, retrospectively registered. Level of Evidence 4 Laryngoscope, 131:E1550–E1557, 2021

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Bu çalışmada kronik venöz yetmezliği olan hastalarda, farklı fiziksel aktivite düzeylerinin ağrı, yorgunluk ve yaşam kalitesi üzerindeki etkisi karşılaştırıldı. Ça lış ma pla nı: Ekim 2018 ve Şubat 2019 tarihleri arasında, kronik venöz yetmezliği tanısı konan ve fizyoterapiye başvuran toplam 69 hasta (4 erkek, 65 kadın; ort. yaş 50 yıl; dağılım, 19-73 yıl) çalışmaya alındı. Hastaların fiziksel aktivite düzeyleri, Uluslararası Fiziksel Aktivite Anketi ile hafif, orta ve ağır olmak üzere üç grupta belirlendi. Yorgunluk, ağrı ve yaşam kalitesi sırasıyla Yorgunluk Şiddeti Ölçeği, görsel analog ölçeği (gece, aktivite ve dinlenme sırasında) ve Venöz Yetmezlikte Epidemiyolojik ve Ekonomik Çalışma-Yaşam Kalitesi/Semptom Ölçeği ile değerlendirildi.Bul gu lar: Toplam 69 hastanın 17'i hafif düzeyde fiziksel aktivite grubunda, 32'si orta düzeyde fiziksel aktivite grubunda ve 20'si ağır düzeyde fiziksel aktivite grubunda idi. Aktivite sırasında algılanan ağrı ve yorgunluk, hafif ve orta düzeyde fiziksel aktivite grupları arasında anlamlı derecede farklıydı (p<0.05). Ağır düzeyde fiziksel aktivite grubu ile diğer iki grup arasında ağrı, yorgunluk ve yaşam kalitesi açısından anlamlı bir fark yoktu (p>0.05). So nuç:Çalışma sonuçlarımız kronik venöz yetmezliği olan hastalarda ağrı ve yorgunluk gibi semptomlar ile başa çıkmak ve yaşam kalitesini artırmak için orta düzeyde fiziksel aktivitenin yararlı olabileceğini göstermektedir.

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Objective The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy—Cognitive Function (FACT-Cog) is a questionnaire that is used to evaluate the quality of life and cognitive functions according to individual self-reports. The aim of this study was to investigate the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the FACT-Cog. Methods Cancer patients who were treated with chemo or radiotherapy and had a score of 24/30 and more in Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) were included in this study. Cognitive functions assessed with the FACT-Cog and the European Organization of Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Core Questionnaire Core 30: Cognitive Function subscale (EORTC QLQ-CF). Results One hundred and forty cancer patients [female = 87 (62.1%), male = 53 (37.9%)] were included. The mean age of the participants was 47.93 ± 11.90 years. The Cronbach's α of the FACT-Cog scale was 0.82. Test–retest intraclass correlation coefficient values of the FACT-Cog questionnaire were varied from 0.855 to 0.954. There were found low correlations between the total score of the FACT-Cog and the MMSE (r = 0.26, p = 0.002), and moderate correlations between the EORTC QLQ-CF subscale and the FACT-Cog (r = −0.43; p < 0.001). Significance of results It showed the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the FACT-Cog questionnaire for cancer patients. It may be beneficial to use this questionnaire for the effects of cancer treatment.

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Instagram® is one of the most active social media platforms with over a billion users worldwide. Since the importance of education on lymphedema has been established due to the chronic nature of the disease, seeking knowledge attracts much attention not only clinically but also on social platforms such as Instagram ®. Our aim was to examine content by analyzing posts tagged with hashtags on Instagram ® related to lymphedema. Nine predefined hashtags related to lymphedema were used to search posts uploaded to Instagram® via the Apify tool. Retrieved public posts were classified and analyzed by four researchers for their content and post-type. We found that the vast majority of sharing on Instagram® in the context of lymphedema and its related aspects have relatively low scores for both relevancy and accuracy with a 77% irrelevancy rate. The best posts were those determined to be educational, which were found 57% relevant and correct. Medical professionals should consider that disseminating true guidance and therapy carries importance for patients with lymphedema and treatment success. The ability for patients to reach knowledge via social media might also be an important aspect in reliving suffering due to lymphedema. However, our results demonstrate that Instagram® might not be a good platform for patients to discover reliable information about lymphedema.

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