Breast cancer-related lymphedema
LLLT for breast cancer-related lymphedema systematic review and meta-analysis
Smoot B, Chiavola-Larson L, Lee J, et al. Journal of Cancer Survivorship. 2015.
A 2015 meta-analysis found moderate-strength evidence that LLLT reduced arm volume and pain in breast cancer-related lymphedema.
Evidence grade
moderate
Effect direction
positive
Panel relevance
not-panel-replicable
Key findings
- Nine studies met inclusion criteria.
- Pooled within-group volume reduction was 75.7 ml after LLLT.
- Between-group pooled results showed a 90.9 ml greater volume reduction when treatment included LLLT.
Protocol details
| Wavelengths | Not reported nm |
|---|---|
| Irradiance | Not reported mW/cm2 |
| Fluence | Not reported J/cm2 |
| Session time | Not reported minutes |
| Frequency | Clinical lymphedema protocol-specific |
| Duration | Varied by study |
| Treatment area | Upper limb/axillary lymphedema targets |
| Device type | Low-level laser therapy |
Caveats
- Lymphedema care is specialized and should not be reduced to home panel instructions.
- Pain between-group effects were not significant in the limited pain analysis.