Detection of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in Women Experiencing Lymphedema after Mastectomy

Lymphedema, an unpleasant postmastectomy complication, entails neuromuscular injuries. The most common complication is developing carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), exacerbated by chemotherapy in cancer patients. As detecting this complication is effective in the therapeutic process of the patients, this study aimed to detect CTS in women experiencing postmastectomy lymphedema. This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 320 patients suffering from postoperative lymphedema in the hospitals affiliated to Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in Iran from 2018 to 2020. The participants were selected using convenience sampling. The Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ) was used to detect CTS in the participants, and the data were analyzed using chi-square test. According to the questionnaire, 20% of the participants had CTS symptoms. Study of the results suggested that radiotherapy, lymph node removal during surgery, and diabetes mellitus could be involved in the development of CTS. The results indicated that one of every five women who experienced postmastectomy lymphedema and had undergone chemotherapy exhibited symptoms of CTS.