Evidence mapPaperPMID 41364915Full record

ReviewJMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologies2025

Telerehabilitation in Postoperative Breast Cancer Care: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Fabio Santacaterina, Benedetta Campagnola, Federica Bressi, Loredana Zollo, Silvia Sterzi, Marco Bravi

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologies, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Trial
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Fabio Santacaterina *Rehabilitation, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6142-3096
Benedetta CampagnolaRehabilitation, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7536-8382
Federica BressiRehabilitation, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5462-2743
Loredana ZolloDepartment of Engineering, Research Unit of Advanced Robotics and Human-Centred Technologies, Università Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8015-010X
Silvia SterziRehabilitation, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2347-7544
Marco Bravi *Rehabilitation, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3396-4100

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPostoperative rehabilitation is essential to improve quality of life (QoL), pain control, and upper limb function in women undergoing surgery for breast cancer (BC). Telerehabilitation has emerged as a promising alternative to conventional rehabilitation, especially in patients with limited access to care, but its comparative efficacy remains uncertain.

objectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of telerehabilitation compared with standard care or no treatment in improving QoL, pain, handgrip strength, and upper limb function in women undergoing BC surgery.

methodsWe conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis following PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) 2020 guidelines. We included 11 randomized controlled trials, of which 5 were eligible for quantitative synthesis. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials version 2 (RoB2), and the certainty of evidence was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. Outcomes assessed included QoL, pain, grip strength, and upper limb function.

resultsTelerehabilitation significantly improved QoL (standardized mean difference [SMD] 0.59; 95% CI 0.24-0.95; moderate certainty) and grip strength (mean difference [MD] 2.93; 95% CI 0.82-5.04 kg; low certainty), and significantly reduced pain (SMD -0.50; 95% CI -0.79 to -0.22; low certainty). No significant difference was observed for upper limb function (SMD -0.86; 95% CI -2.02 to 0.31; low certainty).

conclusionsTelerehabilitation is an effective and viable intervention for improving QoL, reducing pain, and enhancing grip strength in women following BC surgery. However, its impact on upper limb function remains inconclusive and requires further investigation.

trial registrationPROSPERO CRD42024545075; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42024545075.

Indexed as

breast cancerpainphysiotherapypostoperative carequality of liferandomized controlled trialtelerehabilitationupper limb function

Identifiers

PMID41364915
PMCPMC12728404

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.