Utilizing complete decongestive therapy and pneumatic compression on patients with breast carcinoma for treatment of postoperative arm lymphedema-A review

Abstract

Lymphedema can be defined as an abnormal accumulation of interstitial fluid that occurs primarily as a consequence of malformation or acquired disruption of the lymphatic circulation system. Breast cancer-related lymphedema refers to a swelling of the arm caused by damage to the axillary lymph drainage routes during breast cancer treatment. Lymphedema is one of the predominant physical sequelae, and it has an impact on the physical function of the shoulder; shoulder impairment is higher in patients with lymphedema than in patients without lymphedema. The objective of this paper is to review the evidence from contemporary literature to see the effectiveness of complete decongestive therapy and pneumatic compression on patients with breast cancer-related lymphedema. The aim of this paper is to comprehensively review the literature concerning this topic and summarize existing knowledge. From present study, it can be concluded that complete decongestive therapy, including manual lymphatic drainage, compression bandaging, exercise and skincare, improves shoulder mobility and overall quality of life and helps in reduction of lymphedema volume, pain, and heaviness. The use of pneumatic compression together with complete decongestive therapy was found to be effective in increasing the range of shoulder joint motion but further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to draw more reliable conclusions regarding the effectiveness of pneumatic compression. Furthermore, this review identifies areas for further research and makes recommendations for clinical practice.