Supervisors info:
Κουτσιλιέρης Μιχαήλ, Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Φιλίππου Αναστάσιος, Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Μπίλλη Ευδοκία, Επίκουρος Καθηγήτρια, Τμήμα Φυσικοθεραπείας, Πανεπιστήμιο Πατρών
Summary:
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer, affecting women of childbearing age and postmenopausal women by 30%. Its etiology is related with a number of predisposing factors that increase the risk of developing it such as age, smoking and exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Every year, large sums of money raised for breast cancer, are made available to research laboratories in order to find new, less invasive techniques, so as to preserve the anatomy and the physiology of breast and armpit and also to achieve a better aesthetic result.
Secondary lymphedema, is a consequence of breast removal surgery (partial or total mastectomy), and is appeared as a complication with serious social, mental and emotional impacts. In 50% of cases, lymphedema develops within the first two years after surgery while in the other 50% the time of onset remains unknown. Also, there is a chance lymphedema will never develop. Lymphedema is managed with Complete Decongestive Therapy (CDT), which includes Manual Lymph Drainage (MLD), compression bandages, skin care and finally appropriate physiotherapy.
Therapeutic exercise is a complementary intervention to Complete Decongestive Therapy with very significant effects on upper extremity function, edema reduction, cancer symptoms reduction and patient’s quality of life improvement. With regard to edema reduction, it seems that aerobic exercise, resistance exercise, flexibility exercises and/ or muscle stretching are particularly helpful. In particular, aerobic exercise helps to improve cardiopulmonary and cardiovascular function. Resistance exercise strengthens muscles, plays an auxiliary role to function of the vessels and helps to promote lymph fluid to the heart. Finally, muscle stretching, combined with deep diaphragmatic breathing, aims at orthosomy, restoring shoulder function, achieving flexibility and improving the overall circulation of body fluids.
Keywords:
Breast cancer, Secondary lymphedema, Exercise, Limition, Effectiveness