Introduction
death, fatigue, breast cancer, ’, cancer, Breast cancer, lymphedema
RECURRENCE, SIDE EFFECT, BREAST CANCER, CANCER, BREAST CANCER, POLYNEUROPATHY, LYMPHEDEMA
Breast cancer is the most common cancer worldwide and a leading cause of death in women [Over the last two decades, numerous studies have been conducted to examine the association between physical activity (PA) and breast cancer risk. There is consistent evidence that physical activity reduces breast cancer risk and the risk of recurrence. Moreover, several studies confirm the association of physical activity and a lower risk of death [In addition to primary prevention and prevention of breast cancer recurrence, it has also been found out that PA has positive effects on treatment- and disease-related symptoms. Breast cancer patients frequently report side effects such as decreased physical performance and physical functioning (e.g., reduced upper extremity strength and mobility), as well as fatigue, polyneuropathy, and lymphedema during and after breast cancer treatment. Regarding lymphedema, it was shown that the volume of the arm in breast cancer patients can be reduced by weight lifting or resistance exercise [In addition, various studies have described the improvement or, at least, the preservation of breast cancer patients’ physical performance by resistance and aerobic exercise interventions. In this context, several relevant findings have to be mentioned: First, studies having implemented resistance exercise or combined resistance and aerobic training showed the greatest impact on muscular strength [Nevertheless, the impact of mobility exercises in combination with resistance training on physical function of the upper extremities has not been adequately analyzed so far. Considering the most frequent side effect of breast cancer treatment, i.e., a restricted shoulder mobility and reduced strength of the upper extremities, we can suppose that breast cancer patients would particularly benefit from a combined strength and mobility training. As a consequence, there is a need for research to examine the effectiveness of a combined mobility and strength training in breast cancer rehabilitation.Therefore, the aim of this article is to present a study on the effects of combined strength and mobility training on shoulder mobility and strength performance of the upper extremities in breast cancer patients. We wanted to address the following research questions: (1) Which intervention effects on shoulder mobility and (2) which intervention effects on strength of the upper extremities (the right and left shoulder and shoulder girdle) can be ascertained and measured? As to both our theoretical analyses and the state of the art we hypothesized an increase of mobility and strength in the upper extremities of treated breast cancer patients during their rehabilitation.