Pain rehabilitation treatment for women with breast cancer

Abstract

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Breast cancer is a public health problem due to its high rates of incidence and mortality, and the presence of pain in the arm and breast is a very frequent symptom in these women. The objective of this study was to organize scientific evidence on rehabilitation treatments for women after breast cancer surgery. CONTENTS: The search was performed based on the Medline, LILACS, and Scielo database on articles published in the last 10 years, from January 2008 to January 2018. The survey was carried out with the following keywords: “Breast Cancer” and “Upper Limb” and “Pain” and “Rehabilitation”. Randomized clinical trials, pilot study, and quasi-experimental study were included. The search totaled 92 articles, of which only seven articles were selected. The visual analog scale was used in most articles. CONCLUSION: Physiotherapy and physical exercise can benefit women with breast cancer, reducing pain, and increasing the upper limb’s functionality, as well as minimize the lymphedema.