Physical rehabilitation after breast cancer

Improvement of overall survival in breast cancer patients has lead recently to an increased focus on prevention and management of breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL), a condition that deeply impacts function and quality of life (QoL) of cancer survivors. Current data still demonstrate BCRL rates ranging from 10% to 30% at 2 years, with a high heterogeneity of measurement methods and different incidence of the disease (from 5% after breast-conserving surgery to over 50% after mastectomy, radiation and chemotherapy). The present paper will describe the available data regarding the value of prevention and rehabilitation treatments of BCRL.