IMPACT OF AN ADAPTED PHYSIOTHERAPY PROGRAM WITH TRADITIONAL AND HISTORICAL DANCE FOR MASTECTOMIZED WOMEN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS

P.P. Nogueira¹, V. Amorim², L. Pedro³

Background: Breast cancer survivors longer treatments often leave sequelae. Moderate intensity exercise improves fatigue and self-esteem, can also help to decrease the risk of recurrence and increase survival. Dance is one of the most fun and creative low-impact physical activities through art that provides greater adherence to regular physical activity.

Purpose: Learn about the effects of an innovative physiotherapy intervention program, with the adaptation of traditional and historical dances, on the quality of life, on the functionality of the upper limb and on the fatigue of mastectomized  breast cancer survivors.

Methods: Longitudinal quasi-experimental method. A sample of 11 women with an average age 55 years, who underwent mastectomy for more than 6 months, not undergoing adjuvant treatments and without contraindications for physical exercise. The instruments were: European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORCT QLQ-BR23); Disabilities of the arm shoulder and hand (DASH), and Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS). The program was carried out in 60 minutes once a week, for 7 weeks, at the ESTeSL gymnasium. The intervention program was about worlwide traditional dances, chosen according to the exercise guidelines for mastectomized women. The Shapiro-Wilk adjustment tests were used, and the T Student test or the Wilcoxon test for the comparison of the two paired samples, for a significance level of 0.05 %. All calculations were made using the SPSS version 26 program. To study the correlation between the various scales and subscales, Spearman's correlation coefficient was used.

Results: There were statistically significant changes between the initial evaluation moment and the second evaluation moment at the end of the program. Regarding quality of life, there was an improvement in body image ( p < 0.021) and in the future perspective ( p < 0.034); in the other dimensions of this scale no relevant differences were found. Through the results of the DASH scale, we found improvements in the functionality of the upper limb (p <0.018) between the first and the last moment of evaluation; and improvements in cognitive fatigue (p <0.004) and chronic fatigue (p <0.018).

Conclusion(s): There were statistically significant changes between the initial evaluation moment and the second evaluation moment at the end of the program. Regarding quality of life, there was an improvement in body image ( p < 0.021) and in the future perspective ( p < 0.034); in the other dimensions of this scale no relevant differences were found. Through the results of the DASH scale, we found improvements in the functionality of the upper limb (p <0.018) between the first and the last moment of evaluation; and improvements in cognitive fatigue (p <0.004) and chronic fatigue (p <0.018).

Implications: The physical therapy intervention program with traditional and historical dances, from the targeted and chosen world, according to the exercise guidelines for mastectomized women and breast cancer survivors, has a positive impact on quality of life, in relation to body image and future perspective, on the functionality of the upper limb, and on fatigue, demonstrating to be a promising program to develop in rehabilitation and recovery of these women.

Funding, acknowledgements: this work was unfunded

Keywords: Quality of life, Dance, Breast cancer

Topic: Health promotion & wellbeing/healthy ageing/physical activity

Did this work require ethics approval? Yes

Institution: ESTeSL Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde de Lisboa

Committee: ESTeSL Ethics Committee

Ethics number: Approval nº CE-ESTeSL-Nº51.-2019