Abstract 176P
Background
It is unclear the association between higher physical activity (PA) and preventive effect on breast cancer-related lymphoedema (BCRL). The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of long-term PA after exercise and educational programs on BCRL.
Methods
This study was secondary analyses from a prospective randomized controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of exercise and educational programs on long-term PA compared with usual care. Participants with stage 0–Ⅲ breast cancer were randomly assigned in this study. The secondary endpoint was to assess the incidence of and preventive effect on BCRL at 1year after intervention. BCRL was defined as a difference of greater than 2.0 cm between the affected and non-affected arm circumferences at any of measurement points.
Results
We enrolled breast cancer patients from March 2016 to March 2020 and randomly assigned them to the control (n = 111), education (n = 115), or exercise (n = 104) group. There were no significant differences in the incidence of BCRL at 1 year between the exercise and control groups (9.8% and 10.8%, P = 0.83) and between the education and control groups (11.6% and 10.8%, P = 1.00). Similarly, there were no significant differences in time to onset of BCRL from surgery between the exercise and control groups (event rate at 1 year: 21.3% and 16.4%, log-rank, P = 0.41) and between the education and control groups (event rate at 1 year: 20.9% and 16.4%, log-rank, P = 0.30). The multivariate analyses indicated that axillary dissection and obesity significantly increased the risk of BCRL (HR: 2.11 95%CI 1.34–3.31, P = 0.001 and HR: 1.65 95%CI 1.07–2.56, P = 0.024, respectively). Additional analyses focused on patients underwent axillary dissection showed that the high PA at baseline had a significantly lower BCRL event rate compared to the low PA (log-rank, P = 0.049).
Conclusions
Although the effectiveness of long-term PA after intervention on BCRL was not observed, among patients with axillary dissection, the high PA at baseline compared to the low PA may have a lower BCRL. Future studies to investigate appropriate interventions and subgroups to prevent on BCRL should be needed.
Clinical trial identification
UMIN000020595 Effect of education, and exercise program and on long term physical activity in post-operative breast cancer patients: randomised controll trial 2016/03/01.
Editorial acknowledgement
Legal entity responsible for the study
The authors.
Funding
the Setouchi Breast Project Comprehensive Support Organization.
Disclosure
All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.