Prediction of Long-term Arm Morbidity Following Breast Cancer Surgeries and Treatments

Background: Breast cancer (BC) treatments usually include a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. These life-saving treatments cause high percentages of arm morbidity, which often lasts for months, or develops months after surgery. Arm and shoulder morbidity includes prolonged pain, restriction of movement, limitation of function and lymphedema (chronic progressive edema). All of these morbidities affect the quality of life (QOL) of the recovering patients and require lengthy care. Early detection of patients at risk and provision of proactive treatment can improve the recovery process from surgery and oncology treatments. Aim: To develop a screening tool for the early identification of women at high risk for prolonged arm morbidity following BC treatments (persistent pain, lymphedema, function deficits and decreased range of motion), validate the tool, and examine the efficiency of intervention based on the the use of the tool.