Efficacy of Therapeutic Ultrasound Added to Complex Decongestive Therapy in Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema

Objective: To determine the efficacy of therapeutic ultrasound (TUS) added to complex decongestive therapy (CDT) in patients with breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL).Materials and Methods: Thirty female volunteer patients who developed stage 2-3 BCRL were included in the study. The patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups: standard treatment with CDT alone and CDT + TUS. Before the study, both groups were given a training and home program consisting of remedial exercises and skin care. All patients received 15 sessions of treatment over 3 weeks. Circumferential and ultrasonographic (USG) measurements of all patients were performed before and after treatment. Treatment efficacy was evaluated based on extremity volume and soft tissue thickness.Results: The demographic data and volume measurements of the patients were similar at the beginning of treatment. There was a statistically significant decrease in the affected extremity in both groups in posttreatment circumferential measurements. However, the reductions in volume difference and volume difference percentage were significantly higher in the CDT + TUS group (p = 0.001 and p = 0.002, respectively). In the USG measurements, a greater decrease was observed in the soft tissue thickness below the elbow in the CDT + TUS group compared with the CDT alone group (p = 0.003).Conclusion: In the treatment of BCRL, TUS added to CDT resulted in a reduction in lymphedema. We consider that when added to CDT, TUS can increase the efficacy of treatment by reducing lymphedema in stages 2 and 3 lymphedema cases.