The effects of poloxamer and sodium alginate mixture

• Published in: PloS one 2020-09, Vol.15 (9), p.e0238284
• Main Authors: Lee, Sae Byul, Gwark, Sung-chan, Kang, Cheol Min, Sohn, Guiyun, Kim, Jisun, Chung, Il Yong, Lee, Jong Won, Kim, Hee Jeong, Ko, Beom Seok, Ahn, Sei-Hyun, Kim, Won, Do, Junghwa, Jeon, Jae Yong, Kim, Jinsung, Um, Eunhae, Yoon, Tae in, Jung, Sung-ui, Han, Minkyu, Son, Byung Ho
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alginate chemicals; Complications and side effects; Drug therapy; Health aspects; Lymph node excision; Methods; Patient outcomes; Poloxamers; Postoperative care; Postoperative complications
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238284

Restricted shoulder mobility is a major upper extremity dysfunction associated with lower quality of life and disability after breast cancer surgery. We hypothesized that a poloxamer and sodium alginate mixture (Guardix-SG®) applied after axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) would significantly improve shoulder range of motion (ROM) in patients with breast cancer. We conducted a double-blind, randomized, prospective study to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Guardix-SG® for the prevention of upper extremity dysfunction after ALND. The primary outcome measure was shoulder ROM at baseline (T0) and 3 (T1), 6 (T2), and 12 months (T3) after surgery. Secondary outcome measures were the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand score(DASH), pain associated with movement, which was assessed using a numeric rating scale, and lymphedema assessed using body composition analyzer. A total of 83 women with breast cancer were randomly assigned to either the Guardix-SG® group or the control group. In the Guardix-SG® group (n = 37), Guardix-SG® was applied to the axillary region after ALND. In the control group (n = 46), ALND was performed without using Guardix-SG®. The results of this study have shown that Guardix-SG® help improve shoulder ROM without causing adverse effects in patients who underwent breast cancer surgery. However, there was no statistically significant difference from the control group. A further large-scale study is needed to obtain a more conclusive conclusion.