Clinical efficacy of hydrochlorothiazide combined with complete decongestive therapy on postoperative lymphedema in breast cancer

Objective To investigate the efficacy of hydrochlorothiazide combined with complete decongestive therapy（CDT）in treating postoperative lymphedema in breast cancer patients，as well as its impact on shoulder range of motion，upper limb function，and inflammatory cytokine levels. Methods A total of 110 breast cancer patients with postoperative lymphedema admitted to The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from September 2021 to September 2024 were enrolled as the study subjects. They were randomly assigned into the control group（receiving CDT alone）and the experimental group（CDT plus oral hydrochlorothiazide tablets），each had 55 cases. The clinical efficacy，limb circumference，upper limb joint mobility，upper limb function［assessed by the Disabilities of the Arm，Shoulder and Hand（DASH）scoring system］，inflammatory factor levels，and quality of life［assessed by the Quality of Life（QOL）scale］were compared between the two groups. Results The total effective rate of the experimental group was higher than that of the control group（92.73% vs 78.18%，χ2=4.681，P=0.031）. After treatment，the experimental group had higher shoulder joint mobility and QOL score（P<0.05），and smaller diseased limb circumference，lower DASH score，lower levels of tumor necrosis factor-α（TNF-α），interleukin-6（IL-6），and C -reactive protein（CRP）than the control group（P<0.05）. After treatment，there was no statistically significant difference in the total incidence of adverse reactions between the experimental group and the control group（9.09% vs=0.101，P=0.751）. Conclusion Hydrochlorothiazide combined with CDT has achieved obvious results in treating postoperative lymphedema of breast cancer patients. It can obviously improve joint mobility，enhance upper limb function，alleviate inflammatory symptoms，and improve quality of life.