The relationship betweenlymphedema, posture, respiratory functions, exercise capacity, and the quality of life after breast cancer treatment

Introduction. To evaluate the relationship between lymphedema, posture, respiratory functions, exercise capacity, and the qualityof life after breast cancer treatment.Methods. This cross-sectional study consisted of 38 women who had unilateral breast cancer treatment. Pulmonary functionwith a spirometer, functional exercise capacity via a six-minute walk test, postural alignment changes, and quality of life wereevaluated. Circumferential measurements were used to determine the severity of lymphedema.Results. The median age of the female participants was 53 years (range 40–64). The mean body mass index was 26.66 ± 2.96 kg/m2,of which 76% had lymphedema. The expected changes in posture were moderate. The mean of the 6-minute walking distancedecreased, corresponding to 58.55% of normative values. MIP and MEP values were significantly lower than the expected values.An intermediate negative correlation was observed between postural changes and body mass index (r = –0.348; p = 0.05). Moreover, there was a positive correlation between forced expiration volume and forced vital capacity values, and walking distance(p < 0.05).Conclusions. After breast cancer treatment, 76% of the female patients had lymphedema; the functional exercise capacity, MIPand MEP, were below the expected values. As functional capacity decreased, respiratory parameters were affected negatively.Key words: breast cancer, spirometric tests, posture, exercise capacity