THE ROLE OF DANCE IN BREAST CANCER

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, worldwide. The number of newly diagnosed cases each year is > 2.26 million, representing approximately 25% of all new cancer cases in women. Dancing in women with breast cancer is associated with physical and mental health benefits.The purpose of this review was to investigate the role of dance in women with breast cancer. Methodology: A bibliographic review of studies published in the electronic databases PubMed and Google Scholar was carried out with the following keywords: "dance, breast cancer, therapy dance". The search language was Greek and English while publications from 2011 to 2022 were studied.Results: According to the literature, the main dances applied to female patients with breast cancer were Greek traditional dances, Latin American dances and a combination of dance programs and culture of Western origin or from other countries like China. These dances were applied to women who had undergone mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation. The main benefits resulting from the inclusion of dance in the treatment of women with breast cancer are the alleviation of physical symptoms, improvement of mental well-being and overall functioning, as well as the pleasure of participating in shared positive experiences. Conclusions: Dance in women with breast cancer emerges as a promising method to reduce symptoms from the physical and mental dimension, in addition to medical treatment.