Quality of Life for Women with Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema: The Importance of Collaboration between Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and General Surgery Clinics

Background: The aim of this study was to examine the clinical characteristicsand quality of life (QOL) of patients with BCRL (breast cancer-relatedlymphedema).Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, patients' characteristics suchas age, body mass index (BMI: kg/m²), history of chemotherapy (CT), radiotherapy(RT), hormone replacement therapy (HRT), neoadjuvant therapy (NT), cancerstages, and types of surgery were recorded. Patients were evaluated using the‘Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire’ (DASH), the‘Lymphedema Quality of Life Questionnaire’ (LYMQOL-ARM), and a visualanalogue scale (VAS).Results: A total of ۶۸ women with the mean age of ۵۲.۵۰±۹.۳۳ and BMI ۲۹.۲۴۰ ±۵.۰۵ kg/m² were recruited after breast cancer surgery in this study: thirty-three patients(۴۸.۵%) in Stage ۰; ۲۴ (۳۵.۳%) in Stage ۱; ۱۰ (۱۴.۷%) in Stage ۲; and ۱ (۱.۵%) in Stage۳. No statistically significant difference was found in the QOL according to treatmentsreceived after the diagnosis of breast cancer surgery, RT (except the appearance domainof QOL), CT, HRT, or NT. In patients who had received axillary dissection incombination with RT, a statistically significant association was observed between QOLrelated to body image and symptoms (p=۰.۰۰۹ and p=۰.۰۱۷, respectively). Astatistically significant difference was found only in body image and clinical symptomdomains according to the lymphedema stage (p=۰.۰۲۷ and p=۰.۰۰۲, respectively). Itwas observed that as shoulder pain (VAS) and disability (DASH) scores increased,scores of all domains of QOL increased except the overall domain in QOL (p<۰.۰۵).Conclusion: It was observed that clinical symptoms and body image parametersin QOL were associated with the lymphedema stage and the number of lymph nodesdissected. It was concluded that axillary dissection with axillary RT and RT aloneafter breast cancer surgery is associated with body image. Our study revealed thatbody image perception is related to the quality of life in patients with BCRL. Optimalmanagement of the negative effects of self-reported lymphedema evaluated in thelatency phase on quality of life requires coordination between Physical Medicineand Rehabilitation and General Surgery Clinics.

کلیدواژه ها:

Breast cancer-related lymphedema ، quality of life