{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T15:11:11Z","timestamp":1787065871784,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,29]],"date-time":"2026-05-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1780012800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Oncol."],"abstract":"\n Background<\/jats:title>\n Approximately 30% of breast cancer patients develop lymphedema after axillary surgery or radiotherapy, which impairs their quality of life and exacerbates symptoms. Non-pharmacological therapies show efficacy for breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL), but the optimal approach remains unclear.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Objective<\/jats:title>\n This study aimed to determine the most effective non-pharmacological interventions for BCRL by comparing limb volume, circumference, and pain outcomes.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n Cochrane, Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science databases were searched from inception to August 12, 2025, with key terms on BCRL, breast cancer, lymphedema, and non-pharmacological therapies. Cochrane RoB2 was used to assess the risk of bias. Network meta-analyses were conducted using R 4.4.1. SUCRA values were calculated to rank interventions.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n Seventeen studies (754 patients) were included. In terms of reducing limb volume, weight reduction ranked highest (SMD: -1.2, 95% CrI [-2.1, -0.22]; SUCRA\u00a0=\u00a082.21%), followed by virtual reality (VR), exercise combined with compression therapy, and exercise therapy. For pain relief, VR-based training ranked highest (SMD: -3.7, 95% CrI [-4.5, -3.0]; SUCRA\u00a0=\u00a099.65%). However, given the sparse network topology and the limited number of included studies, these rankings should be interpreted with caution. Regarding limb circumference, the currently available evidence (which included only 3 studies with limited statistical power) did not detect any statistically significant differences among the interventions.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n Among non-pharmacological treatments for BCRL, weight reduction was most effective in improving limb volume, while VR-based training was most effective in improving pain scores in the edematous limb.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Systematic Review Registration<\/jats:title>\n \n https:\/\/www.crd.york.ac.uk\/prospero\/<\/jats:ext-link>\n , identifier CRD420250654557.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fonc.2026.1828957","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,29]],"date-time":"2026-05-29T04:52:06Z","timestamp":1780030326000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Non-pharmacological therapies for breast cancer-related 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