From the DukeHealth.org archives. Content may be out of date.
Physical Therapy for Breast Cancer at Duke Regional Hospital
Duke Regional breast cancer patients in need of physical therapy no longer need to travel to two sites.
Women receiving radiation for breast cancer often need physical therapy to alleviate lymphedema, or swelling, in the arm or chest wall, or to ease tightness in the arms associated with breast cancer surgery.
Until recently, patients receiving radiation at Duke Regional Hospital had to travel to another site— typically the Duke Cancer Center or Hillsborough (the two nearest locations)— for physical therapy, said physical therapist Lisa A. Massa, PT, CLT, WCS.
But physical therapy is now available right on site. “It allows the patient to have both physical therapy and their radiation treatments on the same day, at the same facility,” said Jennifer Lee, RT, manager/chief therapist of radiation oncology. “It also gives patients the comfort of familiarity, as most patients come for six weeks of radiation treatment.”
