Feedback from wearable devices accelerates recovery after breast cancer surgery.

ObservationalEuropean journal of surgical oncology : the journal of the European Society of Surgical Oncology and the British Association of Surgical Oncology· May 2026

Feedback from wearable devices accelerates recovery after breast cancer surgery.

Ahmed Latif, Noer Al Janabi, Meera Joshi … Daniel R Leff

Read paper

Assistive Technology & WearablesObservationalQ1IF 2.8

Dynamic wearable feedback linked to arm activity surpassing baseline by day 8

Feedback from wearable devices accelerates recovery after breast cancer surgery.

Ahmed Latif … Daniel R Leff

European journal of surgical oncology · May 2026 · Q1 in General Medicine

Background

Axillary surgery for breast cancer is frequently associated with upper-limb morbidity, impacting quality of life.

Purpose

This study aims to assess the impact of wearable-driven feedback on upper-limb recovery after axillary surgery, and to evaluate the usability, adherence, and acceptability of wearables during post-operative rehabilitation.

Methods

Were allocated to basic-feedback (BF; fixed 60-min goal) or dynamic-feedback (DF; personalised weekly clinician-adjusted goals).

Results

personalized-feedback patients moved above their pre-surgery arm activity level

DF

103.2%

BF

80.2%

NF

86.2%

More results

Adherence was high (mean compliance 89.4%, SD 17.9).

Recovery plateaued earliest in DF (postoperative day 4), followed by BF (postoperative day 5) and no-feedback (postoperative day 7).

Among SLNB-only patients, DF recovered faster than no-feedback, while BF and no-feedback showed similar trajectories.

“

Conclusion · 1 of 2

Clinician-guided, wearable-driven feedback significantly accelerates upper-limb recovery following axillary surgery.

Conclusion · 2 of 2

These findings support further evaluation of this approach in larger randomized trials to determine clinical and cost-effectiveness.

Feedback from wearable devices accelerates recovery after breast cancer surgery.

Feedback from wearable devices accelerates recovery after breast cancer surgery.

Related papers