SynthesisFrontiers in oncology2026
Non-pharmacological therapies for breast cancer-related lymphedema: a systematic review and network meta-analysis based on randomized controlled trials.
Synthesis in Frontiers in oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Objective Severity, Pain and Range-of-Motion Limitation in Breast Cancer-Related Upper-Limb Lymphedema: Associations with Patient-Reported Burden.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Approximately 30% of breast cancer patients develop lymphedema after axillary surgery or radiotherapy, which impairs their quality of life and exacerbates symptoms. Non-pharmacological therapies show efficacy for breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL), but the optimal approach remains unclear. Objective: This study aimed to determine the most effective non-pharmacological interventions for BCRL by comparing limb volume, circumference, and pain outcomes. Methods: Cochrane, Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science databases were searched from inception to August 12, 2025, with key terms on BCRL, breast cancer, lymphedema, and non-pharmacological therapies. Cochrane RoB2 was used to assess the risk of bias. Network meta-analyses were conducted using R 4.4.1. SUCRA values were calculated to rank interventions. Results: Seventeen studies (754 patients) were included. In terms of reducing limb volume, weight reduction ranked highest (SMD: -1.2, 95% CrI [-2.1, -0.22]; SUCRA = 82.21%), followed by virtual reality (VR), exercise combined with compression therapy, and exercise therapy. For pain relief, VR-based training ranked highest (SMD: -3.7, 95% CrI [-4.5, -3.0]; SUCRA = 99.65%). However, given the sparse network topology and the limited number of included studies, these rankings should be interpreted with caution. Regarding limb circumference, the currently available evidence (which included only 3 studies with limited statistical power) did not detect any statistically significant differences among the interventions. Conclusions: Among non-pharmacological treatments for BCRL, weight reduction was most effective in improving limb volume, while VR-based training was most effective in improving pain scores in the edematous limb. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD420250654557.
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