The Level of Lymphedema Awareness among Women with Breast Cancer in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Fatmah Alsharif,Wedad Almutairi,Faygah Shibily,Nidaa Batwa,Fidaa Batwa,Fatmah Alhothari,Lujain Alharbi

doi:10.3390/ijerph18020627

Abstract

Background: Lymphedema is a condition in which excessive fluid accumulates in soft tissues. It is a common complication of breast cancer treatments. It can lead to serious consequences and interfere with the activity of daily living. This study aimed to determine the level of awareness of breast-cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) among women with breast cancer in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This was a descriptive quantitative cross-sectional design that included a convenience sample of women diagnosed with breast cancer in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Data were collected by distributing a self-administrated online questionnaire consisting of four parts, including demographic data (five items), the status of education about BCRL (three items), basic medical history of breast cancer (six items), and BCRL level of awareness of risk factors and management (nine items). Results: In total, 95 out of 135 of participants did not know about lymphedema, 119 of the participants (88.1%) did not receive any explanation about the possibility of lymphedema from their medical team before surgery, and 121 of them (89.6%) did not receive it after surgery. The most significant factor affecting participants’ level of awareness regarding BCRL was the lack of information about the possibility of BCRL occurrence, which was not provided to them by the medical team. Recommendation: Early and continuous education for future management is essential to prevent problems related to BCRL and improve quality of life.

Highlights

Breast cancer is a type of cancer in which breast cells grow out of control
The results show that physical activity and sentinel lymph node biopsy can minimize the risk of lymphedema (LE), while chemotherapy and obesity are considered as risk factors for increasing LE
The nursing staff must have adequate knowledge regarding breast-cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) signs and symptoms, risk factors, and how to prevent it when caring for women with breast cancer in order to help and educate women with breast cancer to be more knowledgeable and to decrease the likelihood of developing BCRL. This was the first study to investigate the level of awareness of BCRL among women with breast cancer in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Summary

Introduction

Breast cancer is a type of cancer in which breast cells grow out of control. It is considered to be one of the most common cancers affecting women worldwide, with an incidence of 23% [1] and 28.7% in Saudi Arabia [2]. The most common complication of breast cancer treatment is BCRL, which can be described as a condition of excessive fluid accumulation in soft tissues [5]. Various risk factors such as surgery, radiation treatment, chemotherapy, diagnostic period, pathological lymph node condition, infection, and weight gain are linked to the progression of BCRL [6,7,8]. Lymphedema has different causes, and it commonly occurs as a result of breast cancer treatment such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and lymph node dissection [5]

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