Manual Lymphatic Drainage Breast Massage in Breast Cancer Patients After Breast Conserving Surgery

June 3, 2026 updated by: University of Southern California

Feasibility and Effects of Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) Breast Massage in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Adjuvant Radiation Therapy

This phase II trial evaluates manual lymphatic drainage breast massage for reducing treatment-related side effects in women undergoing radiation therapy after breast conserving surgery for breast cancer that has not spread to other parts of the body (localized). Breast conserving surgery can be an effective treatment option for early stage breast cancer, but it can also be associated with side effects including fluid collection in tissues/swelling (lymphedema), pain, reduced quality of life, and poorer body image. Manual lymphatic drainage is a gentle massage technique used to reduce swelling. It may be a safe and effective way to reduce treatment-related side effects in women receiving radiation therapy after surgery for localized breast cancer.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:

I. Evaluate the feasibility of breast manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) on breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant breast radiation therapy after breast conserving surgery.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. Evaluate the tolerability of breast manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) on breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant breast radiation therapy after breast conserving surgery.

II. Preliminarily assess the effect on acute and chronic breast edema, pain, functional status, quality of life, body image and radiation induced fibrosis (RIF).

OUTLINE:

Patients undergo MLD breast massage over 30-60 minutes twice a week (BIW) for the duration of standard of care (SOC) radiation therapy and for 1 month thereafter.

After completion of SOC radiation therapy, patients are followed up at 2-4 weeks and 3, 6, and 12 months.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

50

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • United States
    • California
      • Los Angeles, California, United States, 90033
        • Recruiting
        • USC / Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • May L. Tao, MD

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Female with native breasts and localized breast cancer who are status post-lumpectomy surgery, will receive whole breast radiation therapy with/without nodal irradiation, with standard fractionation or moderate hypofractionation
  • Age >= 18 years
  • Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent in English or Spanish

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Underlying diagnosis of chronic inflammatory illness or collagen vascular disorder, e.g. scleroderma, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia as these conditions may significantly affect the likelihood and magnitude of radiation related toxicity
  • Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, unstable cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements
  • Inability to provide written informed consent in English or Spanish
  • Patients receiving ultra-hypofractionation, and/or partial breast or chest wall radiation therapy are excluded

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Supportive care (MLD breast massage)
Patients undergo MLD breast massage over 30-60 minutes BIW for the duration of SOC radiation therapy and for 1 month thereafter.
Other: Questionnaire Administration
Ancillary studies
Other: Lymphedema Management
Undergo MLD breast massage
Radiation: Adjuvant breast radiation therapy
Using standard 3D conformal or intensity modulated techniques, patients will receive standard fractionation or moderate hypofractionation radiation therapy. The radiation treatment will last for 3 to 6 weeks, with the length of treatment depending on patient's specific clinical situation.
Other Names:
  • Radiotherapy

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Rate of compliance of MLD breast massage sessions
Time Frame: Up to 1 month after completion of radiation
The intervention compliance rate will be calculated as the percentage of completed treatment sessions over the total targeted treatment sessions.
Up to 1 month after completion of radiation

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Assess the effect of MLD breast massage breast edema
Time Frame: Up to 1 year
The Dutch Breast Edema Questionnaire (BrEQ-Dutch version) will be used to diagnose the presence of breast edema. Getting 8.5 points from the questionnaire is the cut-off point. There is no breast edema below 8.5, there is breast edema above 8.5. It has a score between 0-80 points. Higher total symptom score means worse edema.
Up to 1 year
Assess the effect of MLD breast massage on pain
Time Frame: Up to 1 year
Pain will be graded using NCI-CTCAE version 5.0
Up to 1 year
Assess the effect of MLD breast massage on functional status
Time Frame: From baseline to follow-up (2-4 weeks, and 3, 6, and 12 months)
Will be assessed using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B) questionnaire. The FACT-B consists of 37 questions that address physical, social, emotional, and functional well-being. Each item has a score range of 0 (Not at all) to 4 (Very much), with a total score ranging from 0-148 The higher the score, the better the QOL reported by the participant.
From baseline to follow-up (2-4 weeks, and 3, 6, and 12 months)
Assess the effect of MLD breast massage on quality of life
Time Frame: From baseline to follow-up (2-4 weeks, and 3, 6, and 12 months)
Quality of Life will be assessed using the European Quality of Life 5 Dimension 5 Level (EuroQoL EQ-5D-5L) questionnaire. The questionnaire comprises five dimensions: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression. Each dimension has 5 levels: no problems, slight problems, moderate problems, severe problems and extreme problems (1-5). The patient is asked to indicate her health state by ticking the box next to the most appropriate statement in each of the five dimensions. This decision results in a 1-digit number that expresses the level selected for that dimension. The digits for the five dimensions can be combined into a 5-digit number that describes the patient's health state. A higher score indicates more severe or frequent problems.
From baseline to follow-up (2-4 weeks, and 3, 6, and 12 months)
Assess the effect of MLD breast massage on body image
Time Frame: From baseline to follow-up (2-4 weeks, and 3, 6, and 12 months)
Will be assessed using the Body Image Scale (BIS). The 10-item Body Image Scale was developed by Hopwood et al. in 2001 to measure affective, behavioral, and cognitive body image symptoms. Patients can indicate body image symptoms on a 4-point scale (0 "not at all" to 3 "very much"). The total score ranges from 0 to 30 and can be calculated by summing up the 10 items. A higher score means a higher level of body image disturbance.
From baseline to follow-up (2-4 weeks, and 3, 6, and 12 months)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Southern California

Collaborators

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: May L Tao, MD, University of Southern California

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

May 24, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 9, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 5, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

March 7, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 5, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 3, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 1B-23-2 (Other Identifier: USC / Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center)
  • P30CA014089 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • NCI-2023-10828 (Registry Identifier: CTRP (Clinical Trial Reporting Program))

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

Yes

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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