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Critical Reviews™ in Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine

ISSN for PRINT: 0896-2960

Institutional price:	$684.00
Issues per year:	4

2001, Volume13

174 pages

Issue price - $326.00

Upper Extremity Rehabilitation in Women with Breast Cancer after Axillary Dissection: Clinical Practice Guidelines

Susan R. Harris, Ph.D., PT
School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, T325-2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver BC V6T 2B5, Canada

Maria R. Hugi, M.D.
3982 West 36th Avenue, Vancouver BC V6N 2S8, Canada

Ivo A. Olivotto, M.D.
Radiation Oncology, Vancouver Cancer Centre, B.C. Cancer Agency, 600 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver BC V5Z 4E6, Canada

Sherri L. Niesen-Vertommen, Ph.D., PT
Hope Cancer Health Society, 1723 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver BC V6J 1M2, Canada

Carol K. Dingee, M.D.
#410—2150 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6K 4L9, Canada

Faye Eddy, PT
Capital Health Region, 1900 Fort Street, Victoria, BC V8R 1J8, Canada

Sharon J. Allan, M.D.
Medical Oncology, Vancouver Island Cancer Centre, B. C. Cancer Agency, 1900 Fort Street, Victoria BC V8R 1J8, Canada

Brian J. Haylock, M.D.
Radiation Oncology, Vancouver Cancer Centre, B.C. Cancer Agency, 600 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver BC V5Z 4E6, Canada

Winkle B. C. Kwan, M.D.
Radiation Oncology, Fraser Valley Cancer Centre, B.C. Cancer Agency, 13750-96th Street, Surrey BC V3V 1Z2, Canada

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this article is to provide evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for choosing the most effective rehabilitation strategies and the most appropriate hand and arm care for women who have undergone axillary dissection in managing breast cancer. With this goal in mind, an interdisciplinary task force, comprising physical therapists, medical and radiation oncologists, surgeons, and women living with breast cancer, was set up by the Breast Tumour Group of the British Columbia Cancer Agency in February 1997. The 12 clinical practice guidelines that evolved were developed by categorizing relevant peer-reviewed studies (1966–June 2000), using Sackett's rules of evidence. These guidelines addressed four areas: upper extremity rehabilitation, hand and arm care, electrotherapy modalities, and the need for further research. Because much of breast cancer research has focused on evaluating interventions aimed at decreasing the significant mortality of this disease, the authors recognized the need to develop practice guidelines and to call for further research aimed at reducing the physical morbidity of breast cancer and its treatments.