A few years ago, Kathryn Schmitz, PhD, MPH, proved through the Physical Activity and Lymphedema (PAL)Trial that slowly progressive weight training reduced the likelihood that breast cancer survivors who had been previously diagnosed with lymphedema would suffer a flare-up, and reduced the risk of onset for those breast cancer survivors who had not previously developed lymphedema.
Lymphedema is a side effect that can begin during or after breast cancer treatment. When lymph nodes are removed, the vessels that carry fluid from the arm to the rest of the body are also removed making it harder for fluid in the chest, breast, and arm to flow out of this area. If the remaining lymph vessels cannot drain enough fluid from these areas, the excess fluid builds up and causes swelling that may be accompanied by numbness, discomfort, and sometimes infection. It isn't life threatening, but can last a long time.
The PAL study was groundbreaking, since clinicians had previously thought breast cancer survivors should be cautious about overusing their arms, paying particular attention to how much weight they lift, in order to prevent lymphedema. No one doubted the value of the findings of the PAL Trial, but translating the program into one that could be done by any breast cancer survivor, anywhere in the country, in a safe and simple way is not quite as easy as it might sound.
The Strength After Breast Cancer Program was created after Dr. Schmitz and her colleagues took the essential elements of the PAL Trial and developed a six-session physical therapy-based exercise program for breast cancer survivors.
Consisting of a physical therapy evaluation, lymphedema education session, and four group physical therapy sessions, the Strength After Breast Cancer Program teaches breast cancer survivors how to safely perform strength training exercises so that they can exercise on their own either at home or in a gym setting.
Though the exercise sessions during the PAL Trial were led by personal trainers, exercise sessions in the Strength After Breast Cancer Program are led by physical therapists. A training program was created to educate the physical therapists at Good Shepherd Penn Partners Rehabilitation (GSPP) about how to lead these exercise sessions. Logistics were addressed in order to ensure that this program was easy for participants to access while also being representative of the challenges that participants in other cities might face when enrolling in a similar program. Once the physical therapists were trained and ready to enroll patients into the program, they began working with the doctors at the Abramson Cancer Center to refer women o the program.
Dr. Schmitz and her team have been educating clinical providers at Abramson Cancer Center, so they can refer breast cancer survivors to this program. From the front desk staff to the nurse practitioners and medical oncologists, all providers who interact with breast cancer survivors at Abramson Cancer Center are aware of the benefits of strength training for breast cancer patients, and how women can join the program.
The first group physical therapy session for the Strength After Breast Cancer Program were held in August. The first four participants have completed the program and plan to take what they have learned to exercising independently at home or in the gym.
Dr. Schmitz said everyone involved is excited that these women now have the necessary tools to improve their lives post-cancer. It is been an amazing journey trying to get from the setting of a clinical trial to the rollout of a clinical program, and it’s been an incredible learning experience for everyone involved, she said.
Learn more about Dr. Schmitz's groundbreaking research here.
Learn more about the Strength After Breast Cancer Program or email fitpal@upenn.edu. To speak directly with a therapist about the program, please call 215-662-4793.
Learn more about Breast Cancer Treatment at the Abramson Cancer Center.
The Abramson Cancer Center is pleased to present the first Focus on Women's Cancers Conference featuring:
- 20th Life After Breast Cancer
- 10th Focus On Gynecologic Cancers
- Focus On Your Risk of Breast and Ovarian Cancer
Attend Penn Medicine’s Focus On Women’s Cancer Conference
Friday, October 28, 2011
7:30 am to 3:30 pm
Hilton Hotel, 4200 City Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131
Register and view the full agenda at The Abramson Cancer Center, or register by phone at 800-789-PENN(7366).
Please register for only one conference but feel free on the day of the conference to attend sessions at any of the three conferences.
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