Effectiveness of Emerging Technologies in Physiotherapy for Women with Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review.

Background and

Objectives

Breast cancer remains the most frequently diagnosed malignancy among women worldwide. As survival rates continue to improve, rehabilitation interventions focusing on functional recovery and quality of life have become increasingly important. Emerging technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and telerehabilitation have recently been integrated into physiotherapy programs. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of technology-assisted physiotherapy interventions on quality of life, psychological outcomes, and functional recovery in women with breast cancer. Materials and

Methods

A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL Complete, and MEDLINE Complete for randomized controlled trials published between January 2010 and March 2026. Studies were included if they investigated exercise-based physiotherapy interventions incorporating technological modalities such as virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, robotics, or telerehabilitation. Outcomes included quality of life, fatigue, pain, upper limb function, and psychological health.

Results

Six randomized controlled trials involving approximately 398 participants (mean age range: 30-60 years) were included in the qualitative synthesis. The studies included women across different stages of the disease trajectory, including postoperative patients and long-term survivors. Interventions comprised virtual reality-based exercise programs, Kinect-based mixed reality systems, augmented reality telerehabilitation platforms, and internet-based rehabilitation programs. Across studies, significant improvements were consistently observed within groups in outcomes such as quality of life, upper limb function, pain reduction, and shoulder range of motion (e.g., p < 0.001). However, between-group differences were not consistently statistically significant, with several studies reporting comparable improvements in both intervention and control groups.

Conclusions

Technology-assisted physiotherapy interventions may support functional recovery and improve quality of life among women with breast cancer. However, the available evidence remains limited, with important methodological constraints, as improvements were predominantly observed within groups, while consistent between-group differences were not demonstrated. Therefore, the comparative effectiveness of these interventions over standard rehabilitation remains inconclusive, highlighting the need for further high-quality randomized controlled trials.