Health-related physical fitness parameters in women with breast cancer-related lymphedema: a case-control study.

Purpose: This study aimed to compare health-related physical fitness parameters of women with breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) to a matched control group.

Methods: Thirty women with unilateral BCRL (lymphedema group, age = 55.00 (40.00-65.00) years) and 32 healthy women (control group, age = 49.00 (44.00-64.00) years) were included. Cardiorespiratory fitness with the UKK 2-km walk test, grip strength with a hand dynamometer, trunk muscle endurance with the McGill trunk muscle endurance tests, flexibility with the sit and reach test, body composition with a body composition analyzer, and waist-to-hip ratio were assessed.

Results: In the lymphedema group, 36.7% of women had mild lymphedema, 36.7% had moderate, and 26.7% had severe lymphedema. It was found that maximal oxygen consumption, physical fitness index, grip strength, trunk extensor and lateral flexor muscle endurance, and flexibility scores were higher in the control group than in the lymphedema group (p < 0.05). In addition, body mass index, body fat percentage, and waist-to-hip ratio were found to be lower in the control group compared to the lymphedema group (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the trunk flexor muscle endurance scores (p > 0.05).

Conclusions: It was found that the health-related physical fitness parameters were adversely affected in women with BCRL compared to healthy women. The changes of physical fitness may be important for the assessment and the treatment of BCRL.