Telemedicine in Rehabilitation Aftercare for Women with Breast Cancer - A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Breast cancer continues to be the most common maligned tumor disease in women. Diagnosis and treatment-related side effects affect functioning of women in the long run. The provision of rehabilitation aftercare services for breast cancer survivors is often limited by resources and access. Telemedicine seems to be a potential way of the remote delivery of rehabilitation aftercare. The aim of this systematic review is to examine the efficacy of telemedicine-based aftercare interventions for breast cancer survivors regarding specific outcomes of functioning. A systematic search was conducted in April to May 2020 in the databases Pubmed and The Cochrane Library and has been updated in August 2020. Only randomized controlled trials were considered, that examined the efficacy of telemedicine-based interventions for the aftercare of women with breast cancer. In total, 11 publications of 10 intervention studies were identified and included in this review. No study was found from Germany. In general, studies were classified as psychosocial interventions and interventions for lifestyle changes. Regarding the between-study heterogeneity the results indicate positive effects in certain parameters of functioning (therapy-induced menopausal symptoms, fatigue, sleep functions, adherence). However, for certain of the outcomes (mental functions like emotional and cognitive functions, health-related quality of life) there is no sufficient evidence for the efficacy of telemedicine-based interventions in the aftercare for women with breast cancer. The results indicate the need of an evidence-based practice in telemedicine-based interventions in the aftercare for women with breast cancer. In future, well-designed randomized controlled trials are needed in Germany to systematically explore the efficacy of telemedicine-based aftercare interventions.