Trial reportJournal of the Egyptian National Cancer Institute2020
A quasi-randomized clinical trial: virtual reality versus proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation for postmastectomy lymphedema.
Trial report in Journal of the Egyptian National Cancer Institute, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04185181 (Virtual Reality Versus Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation on Postmastectomy Lymphedema), which is not on this map. Cited by 19 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Virtual Reality Versus Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation on Postmastectomy Lymphedema
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 38 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effectiveness of exergaming interventions for adults with cancer: a systematic review.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Pooled it
- Comparative efficacy of various physical therapies on pain, fatigue, quality of life and functional impairment in breast cancer survivors: a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in oncology · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Opportunities and challenges of virtual reality-based interventions for patients with breast cancer: a systematic review.BMC medical informatics and decision making · 2023Pooled it
- Virtual Reality as a Promising Tool Supporting Oncological Treatment in Breast Cancer.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- Extended reality in supporting cancer patients and survivors: A systematic review on the benefits and challenges across the cancer care continuum.Future healthcare journal · 2026Review
- Article
- Effects of a multimodal physical therapy approach on breast cancer-related lymphedema: a retrospective pre-post study.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- The role of virtual reality in breast cancer survivors: A scoping review.Preventive medicine reports · 2025Article
- Impact of Physical Exercise on Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema and Non-Invasive Measurement Tools: A Systematic Review.Cancers · 2025Review
- Effects of immersive virtual therapy on psychological and physical wellbeing in women with breast cancer at different stages of disease and treatment conditions: an experimental comparative study.Frontiers in oncology · 2025Article
- Using Virtual Reality Pablo Gaming in the Post-Operative Rehabilitation of Breast Cancer Patients: Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Effects of Virtual Reality Therapy for Patients With Breast Cancer During Chemotherapy: Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR serious games · 2024Article
- Virtual Reality-Based Exercise Rehabilitation in Cancer-Related Dysfunctions: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- Review
- Virtual reality and surgical oncology.Ecancermedicalscience · 2023Review
- Review
- Virtual Reality Rehabilitation Systems for Cancer Survivors: A Narrative Review of the Literature.Cancers · 2022Review
- The Effectiveness of Virtual Reality-Based Interventions in Rehabilitation Management of Breast Cancer Survivors: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.JMIR serious games · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPostmastectomy lymphedema can be considered the main cause of upper extremity functional impairment in patients with breast cancer. Fatigue, pain, and limited range of motion are common symptoms. If left untreated, lymphedema causes cellulitis, which can lead to gangrene in rare cases. This study was carried out to identify and compare the therapeutic advantages of virtual reality-based exercises and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation for postmastectomy lymphedema. Thus, a quasi-randomized comparative study of thirty female patients with unilateral postmastectomy lymphedema was conducted. Fifteen patients performed virtual reality-based exercises as well as manual lymphatic drainage, pneumatic compression, and home programs, while the other fifteen patients performed proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation as well as manual lymphatic drainage, pneumatic compression, and home programs. The excess arm volume between the healthy and affected limbs was estimated before and after eight sessions of treatment for both groups. In addition, the affected limb functional score was calculated. Arm volume was calculated by the truncated cone formula and girth measurements obtained by the circumferential method. The Arabic version of the QuickDASH-9 scale was used to assess extremity function.
resultsThe excess arm volume significantly decreased in both the virtual reality group (p = 0.001) and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation group (p = 0.005), and there was no significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.902). Age was inversely related to the improvement percentage of the QuickDASH-9 score in the virtual reality group. The functional improvement percentage was statistically significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.045).
conclusionIt can be concluded that both virtual reality and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation have a beneficial therapeutic effect on edema in patients with unilateral postmastectomy lymphedema; neither method was found to be superior, except virtual reality was found to be superior to proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation in motivating patients and providing visual feedback.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04185181 Registered 4 December 2019 - Retrospectively registered.
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