Effects of warming needle moxibustion on postoperative rehabilitation, pain degree, immune function, and upper limb lymphedema in patients with breast cancer undergoing radical mastectomy.

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the effects of warm acupuncture combined with conventional functional rehabilitation training (FRT) on the recovery of breast cancer (BC) patients following radical mastectomy, focusing on immune function, pain management, and quality of life (QoL). This retrospective study involved 118 BC patients who underwent radical surgery at the Second People's Hospital Affiliated to Fujian University of Chinese Medicine between January 2022 and May 2024. The included patient were assigned into an experimental group (EG, n=62, warm acupuncture in conjunction with conventional FRT) and a control group (CG; n=56; conventional FRT only). Postoperative outcomes, including surgery duration, intraoperative blood loss (IOBL), drainage volume (DV), length of hospital stay, upper limb mobility, immune function indicators, and pain scores, were compared between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression was employed to identify factors affecting treatment outcomes. The EG demonstrated significantly lower visual analog scale (VAS) scores at post-operative 2, 4, and 8 weeks compared to the CG (all P < 0.05). The incidence of upper limb lymphedema in the EG was 9.26%, notably lower than the 24.07% observed in the CG (P < 0.05). Immune function indicators, including CD3⁺, CD4⁺, CD8⁺, and the CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratio, were significantly higher in the EG postoperatively (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the EG reported significantly improved scores in role physical, general health, vitality, social functioning, role emotional, mental health, and physiological functioning, alongside significantly lower scores in bodily pain compared to the CG (all P < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed CD3⁺ and CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratio as independent factors affecting patient treatment efficacy (both P < 0.05). In conclusion, the combination of warm acupuncture and conventional FRT significantly enhances immune function, pain management, and overall QoL in BC patients after surgery, with CD3⁺ and CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratios being crucial factors influencing recovery.