Table 3. Age over 50 as a risk factor for arm morbidity following breast cancer treatments.
| Disability | Author | N | Follow-up | Measure | Comparison/Comments | P-value | OR/RR/HR | CI (95%) | Type of evidence | Evidence level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Functional disabilities | Hayes 2010 [39] | 287 | 18-months | QuickDASH | <50, 50> | <0.05 | OR = 1.94 | 1.01–3.75 | Prospective study | 2B |
| Lymphedema | Ashikaga 2010 [37] | 3,963 | 36-months | Arm volume | ALND vs. SLNB and age <49, 50< | 0.006 | OR = 1.41 | RCT | 1B | |
| Bevilacqua 2012 [42] | 1,051 | 5 years | Arm circumference measurement | Age <50/50> | 0.0485 | Prospective cohort study | 2B | |||
| Herremans 2021 [43] | 132 | 5 years | Circumference measurement and bioimpedance spectroscopy | LYMPHA technique and ALND | 0.037 | OR = 0.37 | 0.14–0.94 | Retrospective cross-sectional study | 4 | |
| Chan 2009 [41] | 202 after ALND | Arm circumference measurement | Level of lymphedema increases with age | 0.011 | OR = 1.05 | 1.01–1.10 | Matched cases control study | 3B | ||
| Persistent pain | Sipilä 2012 [44] | 489 | 6 months | NPRS | Age <39, 40–69, 70< | <0.01 | OR = 0.35 | 0.16–0.76 | Prospective study | 2B |
| Mejdahl 2013 [27] | 2,411 | Developed questionnaire | For age 60–69 | <0.001 | OR = 1.12 | 0.90–1.41 | Repeated cross-sectional study | 4 | ||
| Decreased range of motion | Woo 2018 [45] | 430 | Having restricted ROM ≥ 30° in comparison to the unaffected side | Different modalities of breast reconstructions | 0.041 | OR = 1.038 | 1.00–1.07 | Prospective study | 2B | |
| Levy 2012 [40] | 115 | 12 months | Harvard Alumni Health Study Physical Activity Questionnaire and The QuickDASH Questionnaire | Severity of limitation | 0.001 | Prospective study | 2B |
Abbreviations: N: number; CI: confidence interval; OR: odds ratio; HR: hazard ratio; RR: relative risk; BMI: body mass index; ALND: axillary lymph node dissection; sentinel lymph node biopsy; VAS: visual analog scale; ROM: range of motion, ASQ: shoulder symptoms questionnaire; NPRS numeric pain rating scale; RCT: randomize control trail.