Background: Breast surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and modified radical mastectomy (MRM) may cause long-term side effects such as decreased muscle strength, pulmonary function, cardio-respiratory fitness (CRF), altered body fat distribution and poor sleep quality. These short- and long-term repercussions have an enormous effect on physical functioning in this population. The goal of this research was to determine the effect of a multi-component exercise program on functional performance in breast cancer survivors.
Methods: In this research, 132 women with breast cancer were selected based on specific inclusion criteria. Participants were separated in a pair of two groups: the control group, which participated in breast cancer support group therapy, and the experimental group, which engaged in a multi-component exercise program. Each group consisted of 66 participants. The study assessed functional performance using a 12-minute walk test and a sit-to-stand test. Over a year, the breast cancer support group and the multi-component fitness program were implemented. Pre- and post-assessments were used to determine the effectiveness of the multi-component workout program. Statistical evaluation was executed utilizing SPSS statistical software (version 26.0 for Windows; SPSS, Inc., Chicago, USA) to obtain the results.
Results: The study findings indicate significant improvements in functional performance for the experimental group. Specifically, the sit-to-stand test showed extremely significant results (p-value of 0.0002), and the 12-minute walk test also demonstrated significance (p-value of 0.008). These positive outcomes highlight the effect of the multi-component exercise program in enhancing physical performance in breast cancer survivors.
Conclusion: The study revealed that both of the control group as well as the experimental group exhibited impaired functional performance in measures of outcome including 12-minute walk tests well as sit-to-stand test before the intervention. However, the multi-component exercise program had a notable positive impact on muscle performance among breast cancer survivors.
Keywords: 12-minute walk test; Lymphedema; Physical Health; Sit-to-stand test.