Rusk Rehabilitation, Ambulatory Care Center, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA.
Rory Meyers College of Nursing, New York University, 433 First Avenue, 4th Floor, Room 424, New York, NY, 10010, USA.
Lasers Med Sci. 2020 Feb;35(1):95-105. doi: 10.1007/s10103-019-02798-1. Epub 2019 May 11.
This pilot, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study is aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) as a complementary treatment to complete decongestive therapy (CDT) treating lymphedema among breast cancer patients for 12 months post-intervention. Study population was breast cancer patients who were diagnosed and referred to lymphedema clinic for CDT. Participants (n = 22) were randomized and assigned into either an active laser intervention group or an inactive laser placebo-control group. Active LLLT was administered to participants twice a week at the beginning of each CDT session. Outcome measures included lymphedema symptoms, symptom distress, and limb volume by an infrared perometer. Participants in the active and placebo laser groups were comparable in demographic and clinical predictors of lymphedema. In comparison with the placebo group (83.3%), significantly fewer participants in the active laser group (55.6%) reported more than one lymphedema symptom (p = 0.012) at 12 months post-intervention. Significantly, more patients in the active laser group (44.4%) reported less than two impaired limb mobility symptoms in comparison with the placebo group (33.3%) at 12 months post-intervention (p = 0.017). The active laser group had statistically significant improvements in symptom distress of sadness (p = 0.005) from 73 to 11% and self-perception (p = 0.030) from 36 to 0% over time from baseline to 12-months post-intervention. There was no significant reduction in limb volume. Findings of the trial demonstrated significant benefits of complementary LLLT for relieving symptoms and improvement of emotional distress in breast cancer patients with lymphedema.
这项试点、双盲、随机、安慰剂对照研究旨在评估低水平激光疗法（LLLT）作为一种辅助治疗，在干预后 12 个月内治疗乳腺癌患者的淋巴水肿。研究对象为被诊断为淋巴水肿并被转介到淋巴水肿诊所接受完整消肿治疗（CDT）的乳腺癌患者。参与者（n=22）被随机分配到主动激光干预组或非活性激光安慰剂对照组。主动 LLLT 在每次 CDT 治疗开始时每周两次给予参与者。结果测量包括淋巴水肿症状、症状困扰和红外测径器测量的肢体体积。主动激光组和安慰剂激光组在淋巴水肿的人口统计学和临床预测因素方面具有可比性。与安慰剂组（83.3%）相比，干预后 12 个月时，主动激光组报告出现超过一种淋巴水肿症状的参与者明显减少（55.6%比 83.3%，p=0.012）。显著的是，与安慰剂组（33.3%）相比，主动激光组有更多的患者（44.4%）报告在干预后 12 个月时肢体活动受限症状少于两种（p=0.017）。与基线相比，主动激光组在悲伤（p=0.005）和自我认知（p=0.030）的症状困扰方面均有统计学意义的改善，从 73%下降到 11%和从 36%下降到 0%。肢体体积没有明显减少。试验结果表明，补充 LLLT 对缓解乳腺癌患者淋巴水肿的症状和改善情绪困扰有显著益处。
