Efficacy of Manual Lymphatic Drainage for Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema ()
ABSTRACT
Purpose: The effect of manual lymphatic drainage in patients with breast cancer is
controversial. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the role of manual
lymphatic drainage (MLD) in breast cancer-related lymphedema treatment. Methods: The electronic databases of EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, and The Cochrane Library were searched to find English articles
on MLD which were published before January 2020.
After two evaluators selected the studies and independently evaluated
literature quality, meta-analysis was carried out with RevMan 5.3 software. The
outcome index of lymphedema treatment changed in edema
volume. Results: The study included six RCTs of 364 patients and
the meta-analysis showed no significant difference in the effect of MLD for
BCRL compared with other treatments (mean difference, 3.76; 95% confidence
interval, -35.09 to 42.62; Z, 0.19; p = 0.850). Conclusion: MLD can relieve the body tissue, rapidly
improve local condition, and enhance complete decongestive therapy (CDT)
efficacy. MLD can prevent BCRL and improve the symptoms of stage I lymphedema.
It should be widely applied to prevent BCRL from entering an irreversible
state.
Share and Cite:
Li, N. , Wu, Q. , Liu, F. , Zhang, L. , Zhang, L. , Zhong, Q. and Zhang, H. (2022) Efficacy of Manual Lymphatic Drainage for Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema.
Advances in Breast Cancer Research,
11, 120-127. doi:
10.4236/abcr.2022.112010.
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