MONITORING LYMPHOEDEMA: PATIENT CARE AFTER DISCHARGE FROM A REHABILITATION PROGRAM IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS

Gabriella Martuchelli Dias, Carmen Luciana Xavier Daim

 


INTRODUCTION: breast cancer is the most common neoplasia among women, in the world and in Brazil. During the treatment or due to disease itself, physical complications may arise, such as: limitation and reduction of arms and shoulder movements (15 to 20% of cases). After patient discharge from the rehabilitation program these complications may resurface or worsen.OBJECTIVES: Reinforce care and recommendations, evaluate installation/progression of the lymphoedema after the discharge of a rehabilitation program and decide if the patient will need to return for personalized care. METHODS: This is an observational study in progress, with patients that have been discharged from the monitored rehabilitation program with the diagnosis of breast cancer and lymphoedema (level 0 or latent, level 1 spontaniously reversible, level 2 spontaniously irreversible and level 3 irreversible with fibrosis and/or other complications). The recommendations groups consist of 2 meetings on the second month after patient discharge. During the meetings the patients recieve recommendations regarding adaptation to their daily activities and the need for adaptation to their work; assesssed whether the lymphoedema is stable or not; if the lymphoedema is not stable, the need for reentering the rehabilitation program is discussed with the doctor. The losses were considered as non participation in the meetings due to absences, be it for medical complications, death or refusal. RESULTS: The partial results include 67 patients. Out of the 32 patients that presented subclinical lymphoedema there were 7 (22%) losses, 23 (72%) kept the lymphoedema stable, and 2 (6%) presented worsening and reentered in the program.Key words: lymphoedema, cancer e rehabilitation”


Key words: bone mineral density; osteorporosis; post- menopausal; breast cancer.