The effect of yoga on women with secondary lymphoedema from breast cancer treatment. A pilot trial.

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Secondary arm lymphoedema in breast cancer survivors; Cancer - Breast; Cardiovascular - Diseases of the vasculature and circulation including the lymphatic system

• Registration Number: ACTRN12611000202965
• Lead Sponsor: niversity of Tasmania

Brief Summary

Not available

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Results First Posted: 1900-01-01
• Study Start: 2011-02-21
• Last Update Posted: 13 January 2020

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: Recruiting
• Sex: Female
• Target Recruitment: 40

Inclusion Criteria

Women need to have completed all treatment for breast cancer at least 6 months previously;
Women need to comprehend English in order to understand the written forms, and oral instructions;
and have confirmed unilateral secondary lymphoedema related to surgery for breast cancer stage one, with volume being 10% greater than non-affected arm (dominant hand will be noted);

Exclusion Criteria

Women will be excluded if they have primary lymphoedema, recurrent cancer, other symptoms including infection or cellulitis as all of these will affect the woman’s lymphoedema and her quality of life adversely;
Women with severe psychological illness will be excluded as the yoga intervention needs to be specific to the person’s psychological illness in order to improve it;
Women with dementia and language problems will be excluded as they may not be able to fully comprehend the yoga instruction;
Pregnant women and women with pacemakers will be excluded as these conditions are contra-indicated for the use of bio-impedance spectroscopy – one of the measuring tools for this study (Czerniec et al 2010 p 55);
Women will be excluded if they are having current lymphoedema treatment other than self-management, as this will affect their results;
If women need lymphoedema treatment during the study they can continue in the study but measurements will not be analysed;
Women currently doing yoga or another intervention such as attending a local Encore group, due to the potential for the other treatment to affect the results, will also be excluded.

Study & Design

• Study Type: Interventional
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Arm lymphoedema via measurements of arm volume, bio-impedance and tonometer measurements[baseline, week 4, week 8 and 4 weeks post intervention]

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Shoulder range of motion using goniometry[baseline, week 4, week 8 and 4 weeks post intervention];Isometric shoulder and grip strength using dynamometry[baseline, week 4, week 8 and 4 weeks post intervention];Spinal mobility felxion/extension, lateral flexion and rotation) using an opto electronic motion analysis system for calculation of angles of motion.[baseline, week 4, week 8 and 4 weeks post intervention];Quality of Life Questionnaire - LYMQOL[baseline, week 4, week 8 and 4 weeks post intervention]