Effectiveness of Hydrotherapy on Improvement of Women with Breast Cancer

Backgrounds: Cancer is a leading cause of death and disability around the world. Of all cancers, breast cancer commonly ranks amongst the top three. Hydrotherapy is therapeutic modality which may be utilized as an adjunct to self-management strategies after the intensive phase of lymphoedema management. Purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of hydrotherapy as an adjunct treatment for women with breast cancer. Material and Method: A comprehensive search of three electronic databases, including Medline, Scopus and Web of Science was completed. Studies of adult women with secondary upper limb lymphoedema following breast cancer surgery, which measured lymphoedema volume, pain, upper limb and QOL outcomes were included.15 articles found and 10 articles selected based on compliance with the key words and availability of the full text.Result: There is mixed evidence to support the positive impact of hydrotherapy as an adjunct treatment on reducing lymphoedema volume in the short-term and emerging evidence for upper limb function, pain and QOL. Hydrotherapy had a positive, clinically and statically significant immediate effect on limb volume but no long-term effect was noted. Some studies show that the adherence rate to hydrotherapy is significantly higher than the adherence to self-management therapy.Conclusion: Hydrotherapy could be used as an adjunct treatment for women with breast cancer related lymphoedema. It seems that hydrotherapy is a safe method, with high adherence, in treating women who suffer from mild to moderate lymphedema. A significant immediate and insignificant long-term effect on limb volume was note.