Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies
Date Submitted: May 8, 2025
Date Accepted: Oct 18, 2025
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Telerehabilitation in Postoperative Breast Cancer Care: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
ABSTRACT
Background:
Postoperative rehabilitation is essential to improve quality of life (QoL), pain control, and upper limb function in women undergoing surgery for breast cancer (BC). Telerehabilitation has emerged as a promising alternative to conventional rehabilitation, especially in patients with limited access to care, but its comparative efficacy remains uncertain.
Objective:
To evaluate the effectiveness of telerehabilitation compared to standard care or no treatment in improving QoL, pain, handgrip strength, and upper limb function in women undergoing BC surgery.
Methods:
We conducted a systematic review (SR) and meta-analysis following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. The protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42024545075). We included 11 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), of which 5 were eligible for quantitative synthesis. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials version 2 (RoB2) tool, and the certainty of evidence was evaluated using the GRADE approach. Outcomes assessed included QoL, pain, grip strength, and upper limb function.
Results:
Telerehabilitation significantly improved QoL (standardized mean difference [SMD] = 0.59; 95% CI: 0.24 to 0.95; moderate certainty) and grip strength (mean difference [MD] = 2.93 kg; 95% CI: 0.82 to 5.04; low certainty), and significantly reduced pain (SMD = –0.50; 95% CI: –0.79 to –0.22; low certainty). No significant difference was observed for upper limb function (SMD = –0.86; 95% CI: –2.02 to 0.31; low certainty).
Conclusions:
Telerehabilitation is an effective and viable intervention for improving QoL, reducing pain, and enhancing grip strength in women following breast cancer surgery. However, its impact on upper limb function remains inconclusive and requires further investigation. Clinical Trial: PROSPERO CRD42024545075
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