Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, Bond University, Robina, Queensland, Australia.
Allied Health Department, The Wesley Hospital, Uniting Care Health, Auchenflower, Queensland, Australia.
Lymphat Res Biol. 2023 Aug;21(4):351-358. doi: 10.1089/lrb.2022.0017. Epub 2023 Feb 22.
Breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) is a common complication of breast cancer treatment. Anecdotal and qualitative research suggests that heat and hot weather cause an exacerbation of BCRL; however, there is little quantitative evidence to support this. The aim of this article is to investigate the relationship between seasonal climate variation and limb size, volume, fluid distribution, and diagnosis in women following breast cancer treatment. Women older than the age of 35 years who had undergone treatment for breast cancer were invited to participate. Twenty-five women aged between 38 and 82 years were recruited. Seventy-two percent received surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy as part of their breast cancer treatment. Participants completed anthropometric, circumferential, and bioimpedance measures and a survey on three occasions: November (spring), February (summer), and June (winter). Diagnostic criteria of >2 cm and >200 mL difference between the affected and unaffected arm, and a positive bioimpedance ratio of >1.139 for a dominant arm and >1.066 for nondominant arm was applied across the three measurement occasions. No significant correlation between seasonal variation in climate and upper limb size, volume, or fluid distribution were found in women diagnosed with or at risk of developing BCRL. Lymphedema diagnosis depends on the season and diagnostic measurement tool utilized. There was no statistically significant variation in limb size, volume, or fluid distribution in this population across spring, summer, and winter, although there were linked trends in these values. The diagnosis of lymphedema, however, varied between individual participants throughout the year. This has important implications for the implementation/commencement of treatment and management. Further research with a larger population in different climates is required to explore the status of women with respect to BCRL. The use of common clinical diagnostic criteria did not result in consistent diagnostic classification of BCRL for the women involved in this study.
乳腺癌相关淋巴水肿（BCRL）是乳腺癌治疗的常见并发症。轶事和定性研究表明，热和炎热的天气会加剧 BCRL；然而，几乎没有定量证据支持这一点。本文的目的是调查季节性气候变化与乳腺癌治疗后女性肢体大小、体积、液体分布和诊断之间的关系。 邀请年龄在 35 岁以上的女性参加。共招募了 25 名年龄在 38 至 82 岁之间的女性。72%的人接受了手术、放射治疗和化疗作为乳腺癌治疗的一部分。参与者在三个时间点完成了人体测量、周长和生物阻抗测量，并完成了一项调查：11 月（春季）、2 月（夏季）和 6 月（冬季）。在三个测量时间点，采用>2cm 和>200ml 的受累和未受累手臂之间的差异以及优势手臂>1.139 和非优势手臂>1.066 的生物阻抗比的诊断标准来诊断 BCRL。在被诊断患有或有发展 BCRL 风险的女性中，季节变化与上肢大小、体积或液体分布之间没有显著相关性。淋巴水肿的诊断取决于季节和使用的诊断测量工具。在本研究人群中，尽管存在相关趋势，但在春季、夏季和冬季，肢体大小、体积或液体分布没有统计学上的显著变化。然而，在整个一年中，个别参与者的淋巴水肿诊断存在差异。这对治疗和管理的实施/开始具有重要意义。需要在不同气候下对更大的人群进行进一步研究，以探讨女性的 BCRL 状况。使用常见的临床诊断标准并没有导致参与本研究的女性的 BCRL 诊断分类一致。
