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Effect of rowing on mobility, functionality, and quality of life in women with and without breast cancer: a 4-month intervention

Supportive Care in Cancer Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Of the different modalities of rowing, dragon boat training is the most analyzed in breast cancer (BC). However, other types of boats, such as the felucca, use different biomechanical techniques, which have not been studied in the scientific literature. Consequently, in this study, we sought to determine the benefits of felucca rowing on the physical, psychological, and emotional well-being of patients with BC and healthy persons.

Methods

A pre- and post-intervention, single-arm study without a control group with a 4-month intervention was carried out in Spain in 2019. The study sample included six women with BC and 15 healthy women. The following questionnaires were administered before and after the intervention: Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH), Constant-Murley score (CMS), and the European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions (EQ-5D, rate your health today). Differences were determined before and after the intervention using the paired t test.

Results

Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found in the results of all the questionnaires for the women with BC and for the healthy women: DASH (− 13.8 BC and − 6.7 healthy), CMS (+ 12.0 BC and 9.2 healthy), and EQ-5D (+ 8.5 BC and 10.5 healthy).

Conclusion

Felucca rowing showed benefits in health and quality of life in both women with BC and healthy women. In future studies with controlled design, values regarding clinical relevance, such as effect sizes/confidence intervals, are needed to corroborate our results.

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Data availability

The data set would be available upon reasonable request and with the approval of the Ethics Committee of the Department of Health of San Juan de Alicante.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the Remavida Association for their collaboration in this study. The authors thank Maria Repice and Ian Johnstone for their help with the English version of the text, as well as the Real Club de Regatas de Alicante for their collaboration, especially Lionel Jiménez and Maria Amores. Finally, we are very grateful for the collaboration of Cristian Jover-Jaén in the video.

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Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

MRA designed the study and drafted the manuscript; MIT participated in the study design and helped draft the manuscript; AP participated in the study design, performed the statistical analysis, and helped draft the manuscript; and SH, RN, ALR, and VFG participated in the study design and reviewed critically the manuscript. All authors approved the final version of the text to be submitted for publication.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Antonio Palazón-Bru.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethics approval

The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Department of Health of San Juan de Alicante on January 29, 2019 (code: 19/302).

Consent to participate

All study participants read and signed an informed consent form agreeing to their participation prior to the start of the study.

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Asensio-García, M., Tomás-Rodríguez, M.I., Palazón-Bru, A. et al. Effect of rowing on mobility, functionality, and quality of life in women with and without breast cancer: a 4-month intervention. Support Care Cancer 29, 2639–2644 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-020-05757-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-020-05757-7

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