The weight of an external breast prosthesis as a factor for body balance in women who have undergone mastectomy.

It has been shown that women who have undergone mastectomy (BG) demonstrated greater postural changes than women after breast reconstruction. In this study we wanted to verify if unilateral mastectomy affected body weight distribution and balance in a standing position and if the weight of an external breast prosthesis (EBP) influenced those variables and might provide some insight into the current post-mastectomy care. In our study BG completed the data acquisition protocol in 4 variants: 3 trials without EBP (group A), and the next 9 trials with 3 different weights of EBP. Group B - wearing a prosthesis weighing 10 grams; Group C - wearing a prosthesis weighing 50% of the total breast mass; Group D - wearing a prosthesis of equal weight to the operated breast. Each control group subject (CG) completed 3 consecutive trials. Instrumental assessment of body balance was conducted using FDM pressure distribution measurement platforms. This is a quantitative baropedometric tool which allowed for measuring forces exerted on the support surface in a standing position. Ellipse width, length, area and the center of feet pressure (CoP) path did not differ significantly between the measurements performed in different groups. Group D was closest to CG in terms of the width and length of the ellipse. Group C, on the other hand, was most similar to CG with respect to the other study variables. The study results suggest that women after mastectomy do not differ from the healthy subjects neither with regard to CoP features nor in terms of weight distribution on the supporting surface.

Physical exercise for functional capacity, blood immune function, fatigue, and quality of life in high-risk prostate cancer patients during radiotherapy: a prospective, randomized clinical study.

BACKGROUND: During radiotherapy (RT), prostate cancer (PCa) patients may report cancer related fatigue (CRF), which impairs functional capacity, psychological status, and quality of life (QoL). RT can induce cytokine responses that could play a role in mediating radiation toxicity by increasing inflammation. While it is known that physical exercise plays an important anti-inflammatory role in healthy adults, its specific anti-inflammatory effects in PCa patients with CRF have not yet been determined. AIM: Previous studies have shown that physical exercise in cancer patients undergoing RT improves cardiac fitness, muscle strength, and QoL, however it is still unknown how physical exercise affects inflammation and its specific consequences in PCa patients. Therefore, the purpose of this trial was to examine the effect of supervised physical exercise on inflammatory blood markers, as well as the relationship of these parameters with functional capacity, fatigue, and QoL in high-risk PCa patients undergoing RT. DESIGN: This was a prospective, two-arm randomized controlled clinical trial. SETTING: The study was performed in our outpatients center. POPULATION: Fifty-four high-risk PCa men were randomly allocated to two groups prior to undergoing RT. METHODS: Twenty-seven patients performed supervised, moderate-intensity physical exercise (exercise group; EG) and the other 27 formed a control group that carried out normal daily physical activity (usual group; UG). The following parameters were assessed before and after RT: functional capacity, changes in blood count variables and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin [IL]-1ß, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α), fatigue, and QoL (using FACT-F score and EORTC questionnaires). RESULTS: No significant differences existed between the study groups at baseline assessment. After RT, there was a significant improvement in functional capacity (P<0.05) and a decrease in pro-inflammatory cytokine levels (P>0.05) and fatigue (P<0.05) in the EG compared to the UG. Fatigue level was significantly higher in the UG (F[2.126]; P<0.05) after RT than before. Physical exercise had no effect on the correlation between inflammatory blood markers and functional capacity and fatigue scores provided by study participants. CONCLUSIONS: Regular, moderate-intensity physical exercise improves functional capacity, decreases the production of inflammatory markers and fatigue, and has a positive influence on QoL in high-risk PCa patients during RT. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: This is one of the first studies to examine the effects of supervised exercise training on pro-inflammatory cytokine levels during RT in PCa patients by measuring functional capacity, fatigue, and QoL.

Exercise tolerance in breast cancer patients during radiotherapy after aerobic training.

AIM OF THE STUDY: In spite of the introduction of dose constraints based on patient individual assessment techniques for radiation therapy (RT), some side effects from the heart and lungs are observed. Regular physical exercises improve efficiency, which was confirmed in clinical trials. The aim of this study was to evaluate endurance exercise tolerance and the impact of aerobic training (AT) on selected clinical parameters in breast cancer patients during RT. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study involved 46 women with breast cancer who were irradiated using conformal technique (3DCRT) to a total dose of 50 Gray during a 5-week course of RT. In this period 25 patients (group A) simultaneously performed AT, and the rest of the patients, without rehabilitation (group B), undertook irregular physical activity on their own. The exercise tolerance was assessed through the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) using: oxygen saturation (SO2), heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) and dyspnea scale. RESULTS: After AT in group A, a statistically significant (p < 0.05) decrease was observed in average diastolic BP before 6MWT and in HR parameters before and after 6MWT (p > 0.05), and 6MWD was increased (p < 0.05). In group B, after RT, an increase (p < 0.05) in HR was observed after the test as well as dyspnea. Oxygen saturation in both groups was not significantly changed. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study showed that regular AT after just 6 weeks caused an improvement in exercise tolerance parameters with a substantial decline in dyspnea in breast cancer patients receiving RT.