Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-13-2021
Abstract
PURPOSE: Lymphedema is a common debilitating late effect among patients post-head and neck cancer (HNC) treatment. Head and neck lymphedema was associated with symptom burden, functional impairment, and decreased quality of life. The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility and potential efficacy of the use of photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy for head and neck lymphedema, symptom burden, and neck range of motion among HNC survivors.
METHODS: This was a single-arm, pre- and post-design clinical trial. Eligible patients included those with lymphedema after completion of complete decongestive therapy (CDT) and 3 to 18 months after completion of cancer therapy. The intervention included PBM therapy 2 times a week for 6 weeks for a total of 12 treatments. Lymphedema, symptom burden, and neck range of motion were measured at baseline, end-of-intervention, and 4-week post-intervention.
RESULTS: Of the 12 patients enrolled in the study, 91.7% (n = 11) completed the study intervention and assessment visits, and no adverse events were reported. When comparing the baseline to 4-week post-intervention, we found statistically significant improvements in the severity of external lymphedema, symptom burden, and neck range of motion (all P < .05).
CONCLUSION: PBM therapy was feasible and potentially effective for the treatment of head and neck lymphedema. Future randomized controlled trials are warranted to examine the efficacy of PBM therapy for HNC-related lymphedema.
TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER AND DATE OF REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03738332; date of registration: November 13, 2018.
Recommended Citation
Deng, Jie; Lukens, John N; Swisher-McClure, Samuel; Cohn, Joy C; Spinelli, Bryan A; Quinn, Ryan J; Chittams, Jesse; McMenamin, Erin; and Lin, Alexander, "Photobiomodulation Therapy in Head and Neck Cancer-Related Lymphedema: A Pilot Feasibility Study." (2021). Department of Medicine Faculty Papers. Paper 307.
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/medfp/307
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
PubMed ID
34387119
Language
English
Comments
This article is the author's final published version in Integrative Cancer Therapies, Volume 20, August 2021.
The published version is available at https://doi.org/10.1177/15347354211037938
Copyright © The Author(s) 2021.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).