We recruited 102 breast cancer survivors at a secondary care in Malaga. Included breast cancer survivors
showed a good upper limb functionality but a reduced forearm muscle activity. Forearm muscle activity showed
a poor significant correlation with the cancer-related fatigue . Handgrip strength also showed a poor correlation
with the upper limb functionality. Both outcomes tended to lower values with higher levels of cancer-related
fatigue.
Introduction/Background: Breast cancer survivors (BCS) frequently show upper limb dysfunctions. The forearm
muscle activity measured by surface electromyography (sEMG) in this population has not been studied. This study
aimed to describe forearm muscle activity in BCS, as well as to assess its possible relationship with other variables
related to upper limb functionality and cancer-related fatigue (CRF). Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study
was carried out including 102 BCS as volunteers at a secondary care in Malaga, Spain. BCS were included if they
were aged between 32 and 70 years old, without evidence of cancer recurrence at the time of recruitment. The forearm
muscle activity (microvolts, μV) was assessed by sEMG during the handgrip test. The handgrip strength was assessed
by dynamometry (kg), the upper limb functionality (%) was measured by the upper limb functional index (ULFI) question-
naire and the CRF was also assessed by revised Piper Fatigue Scale (0-10 points). Results: BCS reported reduced
forearm muscle activity (287.88 μV) and reduced handgrip strength (21.31 Kg), a good upper limb functionality (68.85%),
and a moderate cancer-related fatigue (4.74). Forearm muscle activity showed a poor significant correlation (r = –0.223,
P = .038) with the CRF. Handgrip strength showed a poor correlation with the upper limb functionality (r = 0.387, P <
.001) and age (r=-0.200, P = .047)...
