Clinical trial · Interventional
Effectiveness of Self-Physiotherapy in the Management of Lymphedema
The Effectiveness of Self-Physiotherapy in the Management of Lymphedema Following Breast Cancer Treatment
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
Breast cancer-related lymphedema is a chronic condition adversely affecting physical, social, psychological and emotional well-being. The complex decongestive physiotherapy (CDP) programme is considered the gold standard in the management of lymphedema. The most important barriers affecting patient participation in the CDP programme are the lack of trained health personnel and the difficulty for patients to access treatment (peripheral location or financial difficulties). Therefore, self-administration of the CDP programme may contribute to the development of self-care strategies and the reduction of treatment costs.
Conditions
Conditions (5)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breast Cancer | Malignant Breast Neoplasm | CURATED_EXACT | 0.92 |
| Lymphedema | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Quality of Healthcare | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Self Care | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Self Management | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (2)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complex decongestive physiotherapy (CDP) | Other | — | UNRESOLVED |
| Self-administered Complex Decongestive Physiotherapy (CDP) | Other | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- ACTIVE_COMPARATOR
- label
- Intervention/Treatment
- description
- This group was enrolled in a complex decongestive physiotherapy programme administered by a physiotherapist five days a week for three weeks.
- interventionNames
- Other: Complex decongestive physiotherapy (CDP)
- type
- OTHER
- label
- Self-administered Group
- description
- This group was enrolled in a self-administered complex decongestive physiotherapy programme five days a week for three weeks.
- interventionNames
- Other: Self-administered Complex Decongestive Physiotherapy (CDP)
Primary outcomes (2)
- measure
- Edema severity
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- Female
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
- Maximum age
- 65 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
* Being 18 years of age or older * Having stage 1-3 lymphedema according to the International Society of Lymphology (ISL) classification * Having a diagnosis of unilateral breast cancer-related lymphedema (Doppler, lymphoscintigraphy, and computed tomography were preferred to confirm the diagnosis of lymphedema based on a comprehensive medical assessment and condition of the patient) * No evidence/suspicion of cancer recurrence after completion of adjuvant local and systemic therapies for at least 12 months * Not having received a complex decongestive physiotherapy programme in the last 6 months * Volunteer to participate in the study Able to read and understand Turkish. Exclusion Criteria: * Inability to understand the questionnaires and refusal to participate * History of congenital lymphedema or bilateral upper extremity lymphedema or malignant lymphedema * Presence of neurological or mental illness or axillary web syndrome, major organ failure, or/ iatrogenic disease that may adversely affect the severity of lymphedema (such as using steroids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and calcium channel blockers) * Presence of conditions contraindicated for complex decongestive physiotherapy (active infection, deep vein thrombosis/thrombophlebitis, cardiac oedema, pulmonary disease, peripheral arterial disease, any skin disease such as scleroderma, allergic reactions to treatment).
References
Publications (0)
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