Effect of home-based exercise program on lymphedema and quality of life in female postmastectomy patients: Pre-post intervention study

Abstract

Abstract-Lymphedema is a debilitating complication following mastectomy, affecting the arm functions and quality of life (QOL) of breast cancer patients. Studies have shown the beneficial effects of upper-limb exercises on lymphedema in clinical settings. However, there is a dearth of evidence regarding the effect of home-based exercises on lymphedema; therefore, we examined the effect of a home-based exercise program on lymphedema and QOL in postmastectomy patients. Thirty-two female postmastectomy lymphedema patients participated in an individualized home-based exercise program for 8 weeks. Arm circumference, arm volume, and QOL (36-Item Short Form Health Survey) were measured before and after the program. Data were analyzed with the use of paired t-tests for circumferential and volumetric measures and Wilcoxon signed ranks tests for QOL. Significance level was set at p < 0.01 with Bonferroni correction (alpha/n = 0.05/5 = 0.01). Analysis showed a statistically significant improvement in the affected upper-limb circumference and volume (~122 mL reduction, p < 0.001) and in the QOL scores (p < 0.001) at the end of the home-based exercise program. The individualized home-based exercise program led to improvement in affected upper-limb volume and circumference and QOL of postmastectomy lymphedema patients.

Effectiveness of Physiotherapy Intervention on the Quality of Life of Women with Breast Cancer who Underwent Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy.

“…These results are similar to those in other studies in which there was a statistically significant improvement at the 9th month after surgery in women with breast cancer who had the support of physiotherapy or an exercise program, when compared to women without the same type of support, in the scales of Global Health Status [24,27,52,53,54] and Arm Symptoms [54]. It should be noted that the studies by Travier et al [51] and Gordon et al [31] showed no statistically significant differences in the Global Health Status. In our study we registered a greater clinical improvement in the Experimental VS. Control Group in the scales of Physical Functioning, Future Perspective, Fatigue and Breast Symptoms, but without statistically significant differences.…”

“…In our study we registered a greater clinical improvement in the Experimental VS. Control Group in the scales of Physical Functioning, Future Perspective, Fatigue and Breast Symptoms, but without statistically significant differences. This matches some studies in which, in the 9th month after surgery, women with breast cancer undergoing physiotherapy or a specific exercise program presented better scores, but there were no statistically significant differences between groups, in the scales of Physical Functioning [21,31], Fatigue [21,51], and Breast Symptoms [31]. However, in other studies, in the same evaluation period, women with breast cancer who had the support of physiotherapy or an exercise program, when compared to women without that support, had statistically significant improvements in the scales of Physical Functioning [23,24,27 [21,52,53], and Breast Symptoms [27,28,30].…”

“…This matches other studies in which 6 months after the surgery, women with breast cancer who did not undergo physiotherapy, when compared to a group who did, registered a greater degradation in the Global Health Status [26,27,51], Physical Functioning, Role Functioning, Emotional and Social Functioning [50,51], Body Image, Future Perspective [26], and Fatigue [51].…”

Effects of Qigong Exercise on Upper Limb Lymphedema and Blood Flow in Survivors of Breast Cancer

“…8 Moreover, the upper limb movements during qigong exercise resemble the physiotherapeutic exercises used to reduce postsurgical lymphedema in breast cancer patients and survivors. 9 Therefore, we postulate that qigong may be a potentially beneficial exercise for survivors of breast cancer and could be used to regulate upper limb blood flow and decrease lymphedema. However, to our knowledge, there is no available evidence to inform health care professionals and patients of qigong's efficacy in relieving the surgical side effects of breast cancer.…”

The Effect of Complex Decongestive Therapy on Post-Breast Surgery Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Patients With Unilateral Lymphedema and Its Predictive Factors

“…Perhaps if the patients exercise for improving limb function, positive effects on quality of life would be observed. This has been approved by Gautam et al (22). As mentioned in the results, patients with grade III lymphedema showed no significant improvement in subscales of HRQoL after treatment except for PF.…”