Zahra Afkhami, Seyed Mohsen Mirbod, Zahra Sadat Rezaeian, Ghazi Sarhan, Seyed Mostafa Shiryazdi, Hamze Baharluee,
Volume 11, Issue 4 (Iranian Quarterly Journal of Breast Disease 2019)
Abstract
Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. Surgery is the main treatment, and patients may experience some complications after surgery, including pain and shoulder function limitation. The severity of these complications is greater in modified radical mastectomy. In various studies, Kinesio Tape (KT) has been introduced as a supporting and complementary method in rehabilitation after surgeries. The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of a rehabilitation program with or without KT on shoulder pain and function after mastectomy in women with breast cancer.
Methods: This study was a double-blind randomized clinical trial (RCT). In this study, 20 participants were randomly assigned to 2 groups. The intervention started the first day after surgery. One of the groups (n = 10) received therapeutic exercise program, and the other group (n = 10) received therapeutic exercise program as well as lymphatic correction with fan-shaped KT over a four-week period. KT was attached to the upper limb of the surgical side, the effects of the interventions were examined from two aspects of shoulder pain and function (based on the SPADI questionnaire).
Results: The findings of the study indicated that both groups had significant improvements in pain and function after the four-week period of intervention. The improvement in shoulder function was significantly greater in the exercise + KT group (p < 0.05), although there was no significant difference between the two groups in shoulder pain (p > 0.05).
Conclusion: The use of fan-shaped KT with therapeutic exercises is recommended for improving the shoulder function after a modified radical mastectomy.
Pooria Afsharifard, Mohammad Bagher Dowlatshahi, Mahshid Abbasi, Abbas Rezaeian, Morteza Amraei,
Volume 17, Issue 4 (Iranian Journal of Breast Diseases 2025)
Abstract
Introduction: The heart and lungs are among the organs at risk of receiving additional radiation during radiation therapy of breast cancer patients. In recent years, artificial intelligence and machine learning have brought about significant advancements in the field of medicine. This study aimed to predict the radiation dose received by the heart and lungs in breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy, taking into account the anatomical characteristics of these organs through the application of machine learning techniques.
Methods: This applied study was conducted by reviewing medical records in 2023 and extracting anatomical features present in chest computed tomography scans of 210 female patients with left breast cancer who had undergone lumpectomy surgery. Patient data were extracted from the Picture Archiving and Communication Syste, and multi-label classification algorithms were employed to predict the radiation dose received by the heart and lungs. The performance of the algorithms was further evaluated using metrics such as accuracy, precision, recall, F1-Score, and Hamming loss.
Results: Based on the performance evaluation results of 7 multi-label classification algorithms and considering 16 anatomical variables influencing the amount of radiation received by the heart and lungs, the Random Forest (RF) algorithm achieved the best performance among other algorithms with an accuracy of 41.9%, precision of 73.3%, recall of 70.6%, F1 score of 73.1%, and Hamming loss of 27.4%.
Conclusion: The use of machine learning algorithms and considering anatomical features make it possible to identify suitable patients for 3D wedge pair radiotherapy. More advanced techniques, such as Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy or Deep Inspiration Breath Hold, can be recommended for other patients at risk of receiving high doses of radiation to the heart and lungs.
