After the treatment of urogenital cancer, a person may develop lymphoedema of the leg(s) and/ or midline region. Lymphoedema is the result of a dysfunction in the lymphatic system and is characterized by excessive retention of lymphatic fluid in the interstitial compartment, adipose deposition and chronic tissue inflammation resulting in fibrosis. Clinical symptoms include abnormal tissue swelling, sensation of limb heaviness, erythema, pain, and impaired limb function. The added value of manual lymph drainage, applied in patients with mild (early) lower limb lymphoedema and in addition to skin care, exercises and a compression stocking, has never been investigated. Therefore, the objective of this randomised controlled pilot trial is to investigate the feasibility of a trial about the added value of manual lymph drainage (to skin care, exercises and wearing compression stocking) in patients with mild (early) lower limb lymphoedema. In fact, the investigators want to determine the sample size for a trial investigating the effectiveness of MLD and want to investigate the feasibility of the study design.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
30
Manual lymph drainage
skin care, exercise and compression stocking
University Hospitals Leuven, campus Gasthuisberg
Leuven, Flanders, Belgium
RECRUITINGChange of lymphoedema-specific quality of life
Lymphoedema-specific quality of life will be evaluated using the Lymph-ICL-LL questionnaire: The Lymph-ICF-LL is a descriptive, evaluative tool containing 28 questions about impairments in function, activity limitations, and participation restrictions in patients with lower limb lymphoedema. The questionnaire has 5 domains: physical function, mental function, general tasks/household activities, mobility activities, and life domains/social life.
Time frame: Baseline-3-6-12 months
Change of volume of the lower limb
Volume measurements will be done at midline, leg and foot. Volume midline: circumference at the level of the hip and distance navel - pubic bone, with tapeline. Volume leg: circumference measurements in sitting position, with knee extension, foot supported by chair; reference point is the upper border of the patella and every 4cm up to the groin and to the ankle, with perimeter Volume foot: figure of 8 method: in sitting position, with knee extension, foot supported by chair and relaxed; with tapeline; make the figure 8 between the distal part of medial and lateral malleolus and the proximal border of metatarsal I and V
Time frame: Baseline-3-6-12 months
Change of health-related quality of life
Health-related quality of life will be assessed with the EuroQol EQ-5D-5L (questionnaire). The EQ-5D, developed by the EuroQol Group, is a generic HRQoL instrument commonly used for indirect utility measurement. It is a descriptive system for health states, encompassing 5 dimensions of health (mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression), combined with a visual analogue scale ranging from "worst imaginable health state" to "best imaginable health state". Each health dimension has 5 levels of severity (EQ-5D-5L;5L: no problems, slight problems, moderate problems, severe problems,extreme problems /unable to). Each EQ-5D health state is labelled by a code, e.g. 21531, where each digit represents the severity level of a dimension. By convention, the order of dimensions is mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression.
Time frame: Baseline-3-6-12 months
Change of physical activity level
Physical activity will be assessed with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). The IPAQ is a 27-item self-reported measure of physical activity for use with individual adult patients aged 15 to 69 years old.
Time frame: Baseline-3-6-12 months
Change of water content at the level of the legs/ midline region
Water content in the leg and midline region will be measured using the MoistureMeterD Compact.
Time frame: Baseline-3-6-12 months
Change of extracellular fluid at the level of the legs/ midline region
Extracellular fluid in the lower limb will be measured with bio-impedance spectroscopy.
Time frame: Baseline-3-6-12 months
Change of body weight
Body weight will be measured with an electronic balance
Time frame: Baseline-3-6-12 months
Infection rate
Number of infection episodes during the previous 6 months is questioned
Time frame: Baseline-6-12 months
Feasibility of the trial: number of patients accepting to participate
Number of patients accepting to participate in the randomized controlled pilot trial
Time frame: 12 months
Feasibility of the trial: information about the intervention
If the participant is randomised to the intervention group with manual lymph drainage, information is collected regarding the type of lymph drainage, the number of sessions and the duration of one session.
Time frame: 12 months
Feasibility of the trial: registration of difficulties
Difficulties concerning the intervention will be registered
Time frame: 12 months
Feasibility of the trial: Number of drop-outs in each group
The number of drop-outs in both the experimental as the control group
Time frame: 12 months
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