Age-Related Variations in Breast Cancer Complications: Insights from Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinical Practice.

ABSTRACT

Background Breast cancer patients often experience complications related to the disease or its treatment. With the rising average life expectancy, age is becoming less of a factor in treatment decisions for this condition. This study aims to evaluate differences in breast cancer complications among various age groups in patients referred to a hospital's physical medicine and rehabilitation (PMR) department. Methodology A retrospective study was conducted among all breast cancer patients evaluated in a PMR department between November 2019 and March 2021. Data were collected from patients' clinical files. SPSS® version 24 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) was used for data analysis. Results We assessed 85 patients with a mean age of 56 years, finding that shoulder pain was the primary referral reason, reported by 85.9% of patients, followed by lymphedema in 32% of cases. Patients aged 56-65 years exhibited greater deficits in shoulder mobility compared to those between 66 and 75 years old, as well as greater functional limitations compared to other age groups. Most patients reported symptoms post-surgery, with an average delay of 24 months in PMR consultation. Despite this, nearly all patients (89.3%) reported clinical improvement following interventions. Conclusions We found that individuals in the 56-65-year age group were more prone to develop functional and shoulder mobility limitations. Despite delayed consultation, the majority of patients experienced clinical improvement, highlighting the intervention effectiveness of PMR interventions. These findings suggest that age alone may not be a determining factor in the reported breast cancer sequelae, implying the influence of other contributing factors in patient management. Further research is needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms contributing to the diverse burden of disease sequelae observed across different age groups and to devise tailored interventions.