Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015:2015:586827.
doi: 10.1155/2015/586827. Epub 2015 Dec 30.

Quality of Life and Volume Reduction in Women with Secondary Lymphoedema Related to Breast Cancer

Marcus Lanza  1 , Anke Bergmann  2 , Maria Giseli da Costa Leite Ferreira  2 , Suzana Sales de Aguiar  2 , Ricardo de Almeida Dias  2 , Karen de Souza Abrahão  2 , Ester M Paltrinieri  3 , Ruy G Martínez Allende  3 , Mauro Figueiredo Carvalho de Andrade  4
Affiliations

Quality of Life and Volume Reduction in Women with Secondary Lymphoedema Related to Breast Cancer

Marcus Lanza et al. Int J Breast Cancer. 2015.

Abstract

Purpose. To assess the quality of life (QOL) as a predictor of volume reduction in women undergoing complex physical therapy (CPT) for lymphoedema following breast cancer. Methods. Clinical trial in 57 women undergoing CPT. Results. At baseline, in measuring quality of life for the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire subscale of functionality, the worst scores for emotional function (55 points) and better social function (89 points) were observed. The symptom scales showed the worst pain averaged (66 points). The overall quality of life showed a low score (40 points). In the BR 23 module, low scores were observed in the field of future perspective (47 points). After treatment of lymphoedema, absolute reduction of excess volume between the upper limbs of 282 mL was observed, representing a reduction of 15%. No association was observed between the domains of quality of life and response to treatment of lymphoedema. Conclusion. This study included 57 women with advanced and chronic lymphoedema in early treatment with CPT and low scores for quality of life. The lymphoedema therapeutic response was not influenced by the QOL at the beginning of treatment.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Brasil, Ministério da Saúde, Instituto Nacional de Câncer, Estimativa de câncer no Brasil, 2014, http://www2.inca.gov.br.
    1. Fabro E. A. N., Bergmann A., e Silva B. D. A., et al. Post-mastectomy pain syndrome: incidence and risks. The Breast. 2012;21(3):321–325. doi: 10.1016/j.breast.2012.01.019. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bergmann A., Mendes V. V., de Almeida Dias R., do Amaral E Silva B., da Costa Leite Ferreira M. G., Fabro E. A. N. Incidence and risk factors for axillary web syndrome after breast cancer surgery. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. 2012;131(3):987–992. doi: 10.1007/s10549-011-1805-7. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bevilacqua J. L. B., Kattan M. W., Changhong Y., et al. Nomograms for predicting the risk of arm lymphedema after axillary dissection in breast cancer. Annals of Surgical Oncology. 2012;19(8):2580–2589. doi: 10.1245/s10434-012-2290-x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Moattari M., Jaafari B., Talei A., et al. The effect of combined decongestive therapy and pneumatic compression pump on lymphedema indicators in patients with lymphedema secondary to breast cancer treatment: a randomized clinical control trial. Breast Journal. 2013;19(1):114–115. doi: 10.1111/tbj.12060. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources