RESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: Breast cancer survivors with secondary upper limb lymphoedema (ULL) may report a wide range of self-reported symptoms. At the moment, no overview of ULL-specific symptoms is available. The first aim, therefore, was to compare the prevalence rates of self-reported signs and symptoms in people with and without secondary ULL due to breast cancer treatment. The second aim was to determine whether symptoms of lymphoedema could be predictive for the development of ULL. The third aim was to describe the association between the presence/severity of symptoms and the presence/severity of ULL. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in Medline, Scopus, CINAHL and EMBASE databases, with key words related to breast cancer, symptoms and ULL. RESULTS: Twenty-nine articles were eligible. The most frequently reported signs and symptoms were swelling (80.9%) and heaviness (66.7%) in the ULL group and tenderness (37%) and numbness (27%) in the non-ULL group. Perceived larger arm size, as well as feelings of arm tightness, stiffness, puffiness, pain, sensory disturbances and functional changes were predictive for the development of ULL. Moderate correlations were found between the presence of swelling, firmness in the past year and tightness now and severity of ULL. There was also moderate correlation between the presence of swelling and heaviness now and the presence of ULL. CONCLUSIONS: Swelling and heaviness are the most commonly reported symptoms in patients with ULL. The presences of these two symptoms are moderately correlated with the presence and/or severity of ULL. Although limited information regarding the predictive self-reported symptoms for the development of ULL was found. Further research with standardised definitions of ULL and validated questionnaires for self-reported signs and symptoms are needed to confirm which signs and symptoms are related to ULL and which to other upper limb morbidities.
Asunto(s)
Neoplasias de la Mama , Linfedema , Neoplasias de la Mama/complicaciones , Femenino , Humanos , Linfedema/epidemiología , Linfedema/etiología , Autoinforme , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , Extremidad SuperiorRESUMEN
PURPOSE: To ascertain how change in upper body lymphedema is assessed and understand how clinically significant change is determined. METHOD: A systematic search of the literature resulted in 55 eligible studies for analysis. RESULTS: A range of assessment methods, measurement protocols, and outcomes were used in the literature. Of the 21 studies in which thresholds for change were set a priori, 20 different thresholds were reported. CONCLUSION: How data was measured, analysed and reported was inconsistent across studies. Consensus on a core outcome set with standardised assessment protocols and reporting; and investigation into empirically based minimum important differences (MID) is needed.