The Effect of Complex Decongestive Therapy on Sleep Quality and Quality of Life in Patients with Secondary Lymphedema After Cancer Surgery

Objective: It has been frequently observed that patients with lymphedema experience problems that impair quality of life (QoL), such as pain, edema and sleep disturbances.The positive effects of complex decongestive therapy (CDT) on pain, extremity volume and QoL have been reported in the literature.The aim of this study was to investigate the effects on sleep quality, pain, extremity volume, and QoL of the first phase of CDT applied to patients who developed lymphedema after cancer surgery. Materials and Methods:The study included a total of 48 female patients with unilateral lymphedema (23 breast cancer and 25 urogynaecological cancer) who developed upper or lower extremity lymphedema after cancer surgery.The patients were questioned about QoL, pain, extremity volume, medical history, and demographic data before starting treatment.Then CDT was applied five days a week for three weeks, as a total of 15 sessions, after which the patients were re-evaluated.Pain severity was evaluated using a visual analog scale, sleep quality with the Pittsburgh sleep quality index, QoL with the lymphedema QoL questionnaire, and extremity volume was measured and calculated using the Frustum formula.Results: A significant improvement was detected in pain (p<0.001),extremity volume (p=0.015),sleep quality (p<0.001) and overall QoL score (p=0.012) in the group that developed lymphedema in the upper extremity after treatment.A significant improvement was achieved in pain (p<0.001),extremity volume (p<0.001),sleep quality (p<0.001) and overall QoL score (p<0.001) in the group that developed lymphedema in the lower extremity. Conclusion:This study is the first to demonstrate the effects of CDT on sleep quality while confirming its therapeutic effects on pain, extremity volume and QoL in patients who developed lymphedema after cancer surgery.When treating sleep disturbances in lymphedema patients, it is important to consider the therapeutic benefits of CDT on sleep quality.