Exercise reduces odds of lower extremity lymphedema in endometrial cancer

Regular physical activity appears to protect against lower extremity lymphedema in endometrial cancer survivors, as reported in a study.

Researchers enrolled 1,077 women (mean age at survey 70.7 years, median time since surgery 5.5 years) treated for assumed early-stage endometrial cancer. These participants completed the Lower Extremity Lymphedema Screening Questionnaire (LELSQ) and the Physical Activity Frequency, Intensity, and Duration (PAFID) questionnaire.

Participants were classified into various PA levels based on their PAFID responses, which were converted to MET-min/week. The categories included meeting (≥500 MET-min/week) vs not meeting PA guidelines; low active (<500 MET-min/week), active (500–1,000 MET-min/week), and high active (>1,000 MET-min/week) PA levels; and PA quartiles.

At baseline, 89 percent of participants had FIGO 2009 stages I or II, 65 percent did not receive any adjuvant treatment, 35 percent had undergone pelvic node dissection, and 35 percent followed the sentinel lymph node algorithm. Most participants (69 percent) were overweight or had obesity, 17 percent had cardiovascular disease, 44 had hypertension, 15 had depression, and 59 percent had musculoskeletal complaints.

Forty-five percent of the participants met the PA guidelines. Compared with those who did not meet the PA guidelines, participants who did were more likely to have higher education, lower BMI, and fewer comorbidities. The percentage of participants with self-reported lower extremity lymphedema was 48 percent in the low active group, 32 percent in the active group, and 32 percent in the high active group.

The odds of lower extremity lymphedema were 40-percent lower among participants in the active group than among those in the low active group (odds ratio [OR], 0.60, 95 percent confidence interval 0.44–0.81). Participants in the high active group did not show any additional decrease in the odds of lower extremity lymphedema (OR, 0.71, 95 percent CI, 0.47–1.06).

Looking at PA quartiles, participants with higher PA levels had lower odds of lower extremity lymphedema. However, this association did not follow a linear dose-response manner.