New Strategy for Breast Cancer Related Lymphedema Treatment by Endermology: ELOCS Phase II Randomized Controlled Trial

Background

: This phase II trial sought to be the first of its kind to estimate the success rate of endermology in reducing breast cancer-related lymphedema.

Patients and Methods

ELOCS is a French, monocentric, randomized, open-label phase II trial. Patients were randomized to receive the following over a 5-day treatment period: standard intensive decongestant treatment (IDT) (bandages and manual lymphatic drainage MLD) (group 1); IDT including bandages, MLD, and Cellu M6 (group 2); and IDT including bandages and Cellu M6 (Group 3). The main endpoint was the success rate in each group, (reduction of at least 30% in the excess volume). We estimated that endermology treatment (groups 2 and 3) would be of interest successes occurred in at least 21 out of 31 patients.

Results

A total of 93 patients were included (31 patients in each of the 3 groups). The median age was 64.5 years (IQR: [56.4-71.3]). Patients were treated with mastectomy (n = 35), axillary lymphadenectomy (n = 80), radiotherapy (n = 91), and chemotherapy (n = 68). The mean relative reduction in excess volume was 38% in group 1, 33% in group 2, and 34% in group 3. Success rate was 58.1% in group 1 (18/31, P = ,0237), 51.6% (16/31, P = ,5) in group 2, and 64.5% (20/31, P = ,075) in group 3. In the LPG groups (2 and 3), 10/62 (16%) patients found LPG painful and 9/62 (15%) patients considered it to be unpleasant.

Conclusion

Even though the critical threshold of 21 successes was not met, this study was the first to validate a standardized and reproducible endermology protocol.