Oncology Section EDGE Task Force on Urogenital Cancer Outcomes: Clinical Measures of Lymphedema—A Systematic Review

Background: Valid and reliable tools to assess lymphedema are necessary to accurately evaluate status and to objectively document and measure the results of interventions. Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of each measure can inform the clinician\u27s choice of the appropriate tool to be used in the clinic or research setting. Purpose: To identify reliable and valid measurement techniques that are sensitive to change for assessing edema volume or soft tissue change in the lower extremities or genital region of patients with lymphedema. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was conducted to assess the published psychometric properties and clinical feasibility of each method identified. Task Force members independently reviewed each measure using the Cancer EDGE Rating Form. Results: Both water displacement and circumferential measurement methods by tape measure were rated as Highly Recommended to quantify lower-extremity limb volume. Water displacement was determined to be the criterion standard by which all other assessments of volume are benchmarked. Both optoelectric volumetry and bioelectric impedance analysis were rated as Recommended, and ultrasound was rated Not Recommended. Conclusion: The Urogenital Cancer EDGE Task Force highly recommends water displacement and circumferential tape measurement for use as reliable methods for assessment and documentation of change of limb volume in this patient population. Early detection of subclinical lower-extremity lymphedema in this patient population remains challenging, as there is no “index” limb that can be proven to be uninvolved in a patient population with documented pelvic node dissection/irradiation. No articles were found to support valid and reliable genital lymphedema volume measurement

A Study on Types of Leisure Index Based on National Leisure Activities Survey 2019 in Korea

This study investigated differences in main purposes of leisure activities, leisure constraints, and the quality of life among segmented clusters based on leisure condition index, leisure resource index, and leisure attitude index utilizing Korean Better Leisure Index (K-BLI). Characteristics of each cluster were aggregated for profiling using data from the ⎡National Leisure Activity Survey 2019⎦ in Korea. Results of this study provide room for debate and response regarding leisure experience and sustainability of recreation service in local community based on characteristics of each cluster. This study semanticized adults living in Gyeonggi-do having the highest population density in Korea by conducting K-means clustering. This study segmented subjects into three clusters. Characteristics of each cluster were determined and t-test was conducted to determine associations among the main purpose of leisure activities, leisure constraints, and quality of life. As a result, adults living in Gyeonggi-do were divided into “dissatisfaction with leisure resource”, “dissatisfaction with the quality of life”, and “sensitive to the leisure constraints” clusters. Their desire for improvement for quality of life and leisure activity were definitely clear. This means that results of this study through segmentation based on leisure index are meaningful as baseline data to suggest an actual policy plan

Inter- and intra-observer reproducibility and validity of an indirect volume measurement in transtibial amputees.

Item does not contain fulltextThe objective of the study was to assess the measurement properties of an indirect volumetric measurement using segmental circumferential measurements fitted into a formula of a truncated cone (Sitzia's method) in long-term transtibial amputees. Twenty-eight participants with a transtibial amputation >1 year participated in the study. Two observers measured stump volume twice, two weeks apart, using both Sitzia's method and the water displacement volumetric method (criterion standard test). The mean differences and upper and lower limits of agreement between the water displacement volumetric method and Sitzia's method, between the first and second assessment, and between both assessors were calculated. Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) were derived from random-effects two-way analysis of variance. Inter-observer agreements of both methods were high and ranged from 86-96%. Intra-observer agreement ranged between 57% and 71%. In both methods the inter- and intra-observer differences were not significant. ICCs ranged from 0.88-0.99 and were better for inter-observer compared to intra-observer reproducibility. Lower stump volumes were observed in Sitzia's method compared to water displacement volumetric method, with high ICC's (0.92-0.95) between both methods. Although Sitzia's method systematically underestimates stump volume, it is a reliable and feasible alternative to the criterion standard test. To determine its validity to detect (longitudinal) differences in stump volume, follow-up research is needed in participants with recent amputations.1 maart 201