MOXIBUSTION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF LYMPHEDEMA IN MASTECTOMIZED WOMEN: A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALObjective: To evaluate the effect of moxibustion as an adjuvant therapy in the control of lymphedema in mastectomized women.
Method: A randomized, experimental study conducted between August 2021 and July 2022. The inclusion criteria were: women aged 30 or older, diagnosed with breast cancer and who underwent unilateral mastectomy at least six months prior and radiotherapy and chemotherapy; confirmation of lymphedema by perimetry, with a difference ≥ 3 cm between the circumference of the affected arm and that of the contralateral arm. The participants were randomly assigned to shifts and allocated to two distinct groups. In the intervention group, they received (in addition to standard treatment) eight moxibustion sessions over four weeks, while the control group continued only with the institution's standard treatment. To assess lymphedema regression, the Upper Limb Lymphedema Efficacy Index was used.
Results: The study included 28 participants, showing an adherence rate of 87.5% in the intervention group and 89.3% in the control group. The intervention group demonstrated a 23.0% improvement after treatment with moxibustion, which constituted a positive result. In contrast, the control group showed improvement of only 5.3% (p=0.016), indicating a limited therapeutic response.
Conclusions: Moxibustion has shown promising results for reducing lymphedema in mastectomized women; however, the small sample size and randomization in shifts are limitations that should be considered. Further studies with diverse populations are needed to broaden the generalizability of the results.
DESCRIPTORS:
Breast cancer-related Lymphedema; Breast neoplasms; Mastectomy; Lymphedema; Traditional Chinese medicine; Nursing
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