UPPER LIMB DISABILITIES AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS

Augustine Amaeze, Oluwatoyin Iyare, Ngozi Ugwu, Davidson John, Jeneviv John, Obinna Okezue, Onyinyechi Ransome
Purpose:

This study aimed to examine UL disabilities and associated factors among BC survivors.

This study aimed to examine UL disabilities and associated factors among BC survivors.


Methods:

This cross-sectional quantitative study recruited sixty BC survivors using purposive sampling method. Text messages and face-to-face interactions were used to inform participants about the study. DASH questionnaire was used to ascertain the UL disabilities. To determine lymphedema, measurements of UL circumference were translated into a limb volume using the geometric formula for a truncated cone. Visual analogue scale, hand dynamometer, and goniometer were used to measure pain, grip-strength and shoulder ROM respectively. Descriptive statistics of mean, standard deviation, frequency and percentages  were used to summarize data. Inferential statistic of Pearson correlation and linear regression were used to determine the relationship between upper limb disability and the selected variables. Shapiro Wilk test of normality was used to ascertain the assumption of normality of the data before applying the inferential statistics. Level of significance was set at p0.05.





Results:

The prevalence of UL disabilities was 73%. Pain, lymphedema, shoulder ROM, and grip-strength showed strong correlation with UL disabilities. Pain and lymphedema increased by around 0.095 and 0.061 units, respectively, for every unit increase in disability. Conversely, there was a decrease of 1.394, 0.770, 0.285, and 0.045 in shoulder-flexion, shoulder-abduction, grip-strength, and BMI for every unit increase in disability. 

Conclusion(s):

UL disabilities had a high prevalence and significantly correlated with every variable that was examined.

Implications:

The high prevalence of UL disabilities and their interaction with related variables calls to action for routine screening and prompt intervention to identify, prevent, or manage UL functional impairments in BC survivors. There should be training for health care professionals to be sensitive to these issues to institute early detection and rehabilitation of disabilities, and also enabling them to empower cancer survivors to recognize and prevent complications early, and seek appropriate and timely treatment.





Funding acknowledgements:
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article
Keywords:
upper limb disabilities
Breast cancer
Survivors
Primary topic:
Oncology, HIV and palliative care
Second topic:
Disability and rehabilitation
Third topic:
Musculoskeletal: upper limb
Did this work require ethics approval?:
Yes
Name the institution and ethics committee that approved your work:
Health Research and Ethics Committee of Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Ebonyi State, Nigeria
Provide the ethics approval number:
HREC APPROVAL NUMBER: NHREC/A0022250
Has any of this material been/due to be published or presented at another national or international conference prior to the World Physiotherapy Congress 2025?:
Yes

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