The Role of Diagnostic Imaging in Preventing and Managing Post-Treatment Breast Cancer Complications: An Integrated Perspective for Rehabilitators and Psychologists

Abstract

This presentation explores the crucial role of diagnostic imaging in the comprehensive management of breast cancer patients post-treatment, offering an integrated perspective relevant to both rehabilitators and psychologists. For rehabilitators, imaging techniques such as ultrasound, MRI, and lymphoscintigraphy provide invaluable tools for early identification and precise monitoring of complications, including lymphedema, post-radiation fibrosis, scar adhesions, and musculoskeletal dysfunctions resulting from surgery and radiotherapy, thereby directly guiding and optimizing rehabilitation interventions. For psychologists, the session emphasizes the psychological impact of complication-related fears, showing how diagnostic clarity, even when reassuring, can reduce patient anxiety, while also addressing the influence of post-reconstruction imaging on body image, self-perception, and overall psychological well-being. Key aspects include imaging-based assessment of lymphedema, monitoring of post-radiotherapy tissue changes, radiological evaluation of musculoskeletal pain and functional limitations, and the critical importance of a shared language and interdisciplinary communication among radiologists, rehabilitators, and psychologists to ensure truly holistic patient care.