Table 2.

Patient details, lymphedema status, and exercise details of the independent studies published since September 2017 and details of previous studies published in Hasenoehrl et al. [11] and Keilani et al. [12]

Study	Year	Sample	Patient details/LE status	Exercise duration, frequency, intensity	Exercise details	Compression during RE
Ammitzbøll et al. [41]	2019	32 PRE: n = 16 Cont: n = 16	Patients undergoing BCa surgery with axillary lymph node dissection	Duration: 50 weeks: 20 weeks supervised + 30 weeks self-administered Frequency: 3 times/week RE intensity: Progressing from 25 RM to 10–12 RM	Sets: 2–3 Rep/set: Weeks 1–4: 15–20 repetitions at the 25 RM, 2–3 sets Weeks 5–8: 15–17 repetitions at the 20 RM, 3 sets Weeks 9–12: 10–12 repetitions at the 15 RM, 3 sets Weeks 13–50: 10–12 repetitions at the 10–12 RM Muscle groups: Major muscle groups for upper limb, lower limb, and core Exercises used: Minimum of six exercises per session: three for the upper body, one for the lower body, and two for the core	Yes, if deemed necessary
Bloomquist et al. [42]	2018	18 in cross-over design RE-HL: n = 18 RE-LL: n = 17	Women receiving standard adjuvant chemotherapy for stage I–III BCa	Duration: 2 single sessions over 2 weeks Frequency: 1 RE session – 7 days washout – 1 RE session RE intensity: RE-HL: 85–90% 1RM RE-LL: 60–65% 1RM	Rep/set: RE-LL: 2 sets of 15–20 repetitions RE-HL: 3 sets of 5–8 repetitions Exercises/muscle groups: Chest press, latissimus pulldown and triceps extension with exercise machines, biceps curls with free weights	No
Bloomquist et al. [43] Additional information derived from Bloomquist et al. [43]	2019	153 High: n = 75 Low: n = 78	Physically inactive women receiving adjuvant chemotherapy for BCa	Duration: 12 weeks Frequency: 3 times/week RE intensity: High: 85–90% 1RM Low: no RE	Rep/set: High: Weeks 1–6: RE + AE + relaxation + massage Week 1: 8–12 repetitions at 70% 1RM, 2–3 sets Week 2: 8–12 repetitions at 80% 1RM, 2–3 sets Weeks 3–12: 5–8 repetitions at 80–90% 1RM, 2–3 sets Weeks 7–12: RE + AE + ballgames + dancing Exercises/muscle group: Major muscle groups of the body: leg press, chest press, latissimus pull down, abdominal crunch, lower back and knee extension Low: walking + health consultation	No information
Luz et al. [45]	2018	42 CPT: n = 22 CPT + ST: n = 20	BCS diagnosed with LE resulting from unilateral surgery for BCa treatment	Duration: 8 weeks Frequency: 2 times/week RE intensity: CPT: no RE CPT + ST: 40% 1RM	Rep/set: CPT: therapeutic exercises CPT+ST: Week 1: 10 repetitions, 2 sets Week 2: 10 repetitions, 3 sets Weeks 3–8: 15 repetitions, 3 sets Exercises/muscle groups: Shoulder abduction, elbow extension, external and internal rotation with resistance band, protraction/retraction of the shoulder blades with a stick, shoulder flexion and abduction, elbow flexion, fist flexion and extension with a sling, ball pressing and moving	Yes, part of the CPT
Omar et al. [44]	2019	70 RE + comp: n = 35 RE: n = 35	Women with unilateral BCRL and ≥ 5% of interlimb differences of volume or circumference	Duration: 8 weeks Frequency: 3 times/week RE intensity: 50–60% est1RM	Rep/set: 10–12 repetitions, 2–3 sets Exercises/muscle groups: Dumbbell fly, triceps extension, biceps curl up, one-arm bent over row, dumbbell sides rise, lifting the arm forward, and wrist curls with dumbbells	Yes, depending on personal preference
Schmitz et al. [46] Additional information derived from Winkels et al. [51]	2019	351 Cont: n = 90 Exerc: n = 87 Weight loss: n = 87 Exerc + weight loss: n = 87	Overweight BCS with BCRL	Duration: 52 weeks Frequency: 2 times/week RE intensity: no information	Rep/set: Exerc and exerc + weight loss Weeks 1–6: 1 supervised session (exercise instruction) + 1 unsupervised Weeks 1–4: 10 repetitions, 2 sets Weeks 7–52: 2 home-based exercise sessions, 1 weekly support telephone call + 1 monthly in-person class Weeks 5–52: 10 repetitions, 3 sets Exercises/muscle groups: Chest-presses, squats on a chair, one-arm rowing exercise, side-raises, step-ups, kickbacks, split-leg lunges, side lunges, and bicep curls with adjustable dumbbells + core training exercises of abdominal and lower back muscles (1 stabilization, 1 flexion, and 1 extension core exercise)	Yes

AE aerobic exercise, BCa breast cancer, BCRL breast cancer related lymphedema, BCS breast cancer survivor, Comp compression, Cont control group, CPT complex physical therapy, est1RM estimated 1-repetition-maximum, Exerc exercise, LE lymphedema, PRE progressive resistance exercise, Rep/set repetitions per set, RE resistance exercise, RE-LL low load resistance exercise, RE-HL high load resistance exercise, ST strength training, RM repetition-maximum