The role of ultrasonography in follow-up of effectiveness of Complex Decongestive Therapy (CDT) in different subgroups of patients with breast cancer-related lymphoedema

Objective To determine the role of ultrasonography in the follow-up of effectiveness of complex decongestive therapy (CDT) in different subgroups of patients with breast cancer-related lymphoedema (BCRL). Methods Forty-seven patients with unilateral upper BCRL were enrolled in the study. The patient group was divided into two subgroups according to body mass index (BMI) as obese and non-obese and three subgroups according to International Society of Lymphology staging. All patients underwent CDT, the circumference measurements and ultrasonographic soft tissue thicknesses evaluations were performed at two anatomic sites, and upper extremity limb volumes were calculated using the truncated cone formula before and after CDT. Results There were significant decreases in both circumferential measurements and ultrasonographic soft tissue thicknesses in non-obese patients and stage 2 lymphoedema patients after 15 sessions of CDT. The ultrasonographic soft tissue thickness values were correlated with the upper arm and forearm circumference values before (r = 0.491, p < .001, r = 0.841, p < .001, respectively) and after (r = 0.535, p < .001, r = 0.714, p < .001, respectively) CDT. Conclusions Ultrasonography presents as a reliable method to measure the soft tissue thickness and treatment efficacy after CDT in only non-obese and stage 2 patients with BCRL.

Automated summary

The study suggests that ultrasonography is a reliable method for measuring soft tissue thickness and treatment efficacy after Complex Decongestive Therapy (CDT) in non-obese and stage 2 patients with Breast Cancer-Related Lymphoedema (BCRL).