446
Views
2
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Research Article

Effects of exercise and oedema massage on fatigue level and quality of life of female breast cancer patients

, , , &
Pages 238-245 | Received 08 Nov 2013, Accepted 21 Aug 2014, Published online: 08 Oct 2014
 

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the effect of exercise and oedema massage on the quality of life (QoL) and level of fatigue (LOF) of female patients with stage II and III breast cancer. Method: Twenty-seven female patients with stage II and III breast cancer whose ages ranged from 33 to 80 years participated in this study. Participants were randomized into two groups A and B. Participants in groups A received therapeutic exercises and massage, while those in group B received only therapeutic exercises. QoL and LOF were assessed before and 6 weeks after intervention, using a European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality of life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and Energy/Fatigue Scale, respectively. Result: There was a significant improvement (p < 0.05) between the pre- and post-intervention QoL scores of participants in study group A, and between the post-intervention QoL scores of participants in study group A and control group B (p < 0.05). There was also a significant improvement (p < 0.05) in the LOF between the pre- and post-intervention scores for participants in groups A and B, respectively, and between the post-intervention scores of the participants in the groups A and B (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Combined exercise and massage improved the QoL and LOF of female patients with stage II and III breast cancer compared with exercise alone.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.