Breast Edema Compression Vest

A common complication of breast conserving therapy is breast edema, which may lead to chronic pain, but also reduced quality of life (QoL) and poor cosmetic outcome. When pain is present most patients are currently treated with physical therapy, but evidence of its effectiveness is still low and a gold standard does not yet exist. A downside of physical therapy is that patients have to undergo the therapy regularly and treatment might even has to continue for years after symptoms and treatment started. Another treatment option is a compression vest with the potential, apart from reducing symptoms, to improve self-efficacy in patients because they decide when to wear it without the need to visit therapists. However effectiveness of the compression vest has not yet been objectified in studies. The aim of this pilot study is to study if there is an effect on pain, QoL and the amount of breast edema of wearing a compression vest, in order to determine whether a large randomized study is feasible.