What Researchers Did
Researchers followed six breast cancer patients with long-standing arm swelling (lymphedema) to see how their arm size and arm function changed after hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
What They Found
This prospective case series of six patients found that arm volume and Quick-DASH function scores were lower at 3, 6, and 24 months after treatment compared to before treatment, but these changes were not statistically significant. Patients had lived with lymphedema for an average of 9 years (range 2 to 17 years) before starting treatment. All six received 30 sessions of hyperbaric oxygen at twice atmospheric pressure, 90 minutes per session, five days a week. Because the study only included six people and the changes did not reach statistical significance, the results cannot show whether hyperbaric oxygen caused any real improvement.
Canadian Relevance
No direct Canadian connection identified.
Study Limitations
With only six patients, no control group, and changes that were not statistically significant, this case series cannot establish whether hyperbaric oxygen therapy had any real effect on lymphedema.