Breaststroke Swimming After Breast Cancer Treatment/Surgery as a Means of Treatment for Seroma, Lymphedema, and Chronic Arm and Chest Pain

Launched by OTTAWA HOSPITAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE · Sep 4, 2019

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is exploring whether swimming, specifically breaststroke, can help improve symptoms like swelling, pain, and fluid build-up in the chest and arm area after breast cancer treatment. Many patients experience these issues after surgery, which can affect their daily life. The study aims to find out if swimming can be a beneficial form of therapy to ease these symptoms, as current treatments often do not provide lasting relief.

To participate in this study, you need to be an adult woman aged 18 or older who has had surgery for breast cancer, such as a lumpectomy or mastectomy, and has been treated within the last three years. You should also be experiencing some pain or swelling in your chest or arm. However, if you have ongoing health issues that prevent you from swimming, or if you were a regular swimmer before your diagnosis, you would not be eligible for this trial. Participants can expect to engage in swimming sessions and will be monitored for any improvements in their symptoms. This trial is currently recruiting participants, and it could offer a new way to help manage the challenges following breast cancer treatment.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Eligible participants include adult female patients, 18 years of age or higher, from the Ottawa Hospital who are post-operative from a lumpectomy or a mastectomy with or without full axillary dissection and radiation. They will be less than 3 years from completion of their acute cancer treatment. Study subjects must have pain symptoms related to chest wall pain and/or arm morbidity, seroma or lymphedema. They must have approval from their medical and radiation oncologist to participate in the study upon enrollment.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Patients with ongoing medical problems where swimming would be contraindicated will be excluded from this study. Those who swam on a regular basis prior to their breast cancer diagnosis will be excluded from the study, as well as those who cannot swim, due to safety concerns and limited resources/time required to complete more in-depth swimming instruction.