Impact of a self management mobile application on quality of life and limb circumference in women with breast cancer related lymphedema

Breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) adversely affects the daily performance and quality of life (QoL) in affected patients. This study aimed to determine the Impact of a self-management mobile application on quality of life and limb circumference in women with BCRL. This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 180 patients with BCRL in Shiraz, Iran, from May 2023 to January 2024. The participants were randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 90) and control (n = 90) groups. The control group received the normal treatments at the lymph clinic. In addition to the usual clinic treatments, the intervention group had access to a mobile application for 3 months. The primary outcomes were QoL, assessed using the Lymphedema Life Impact Scale (LLIS), and the difference in arm circumference, measured using a standard tape. After the intervention, the mean (SD) LLIS score in the intervention group was 29.1 (10.7), which was significantly lower than the control group with 39.3 (15.5). This difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001), indicating a substantial improvement in QoL in the intervention group compared to the control group. Additionally, the intervention group showed a lower mean (SD) arm circumference difference of 2.18 (1.4) compared to the control group with 3.78 (2.6). This result also was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Therefore, we recommend using the application to support self-management among women with BCRL.