Table 5.
Comparison of Precautionary Behaviors Adopted by Patients Undergoing SLNB Alone or SLNB/ALND
| Behavior | SLNB Alone (n = 600)
|
SLNB/ALND (n = 336)
|
P | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | %* | No. | %* | ||
| Avoids IVs in the affected arm | 498 | 84 | 331 | 99 | < .0001 |
| Avoids blood pressure cuff inflation on the affected arm | 507 | 85 | 331 | 99 | < .0001 |
| Avoids blood draws in the affected arm | 507 | 85 | 333 | 99 | < .0001 |
| Avoids tennis or other racquet sports | 29 | 25 | 18 | 36 | .19 |
| Avoids playing golf | 14 | 16 | 4 | 10 | .42 |
| Avoids lifting weight over 15 pounds | 169 | 57 | 97 | 61 | .49 |
| Avoids swimming | 17 | 7.1 | 7 | 4.8 | .39 |
| Avoids skiing | 21 | 22 | 8 | 17 | .52 |
| Avoids other athletic pursuits | 15 | 3.7 | 9 | 4.1 | .83 |
| Avoids picking up children | 63 | 17 | 45 | 24 | .05 |
| Avoids housework | 23 | 4.2 | 15 | 4.9 | .73 |
| Avoids gardening | 26 | 8.2 | 13 | 7.4 | .86 |
| Wears gloves when gardening or doing housework | 241 | 69 | 159 | 74 | .18 |
| Avoids lifting suitcases or purse carrying | 203 | 36 | 147 | 47 | .002 |
| Wears compression sleeve when flying | 7 | 1.2 | 52 | 16 | < .0001 |
| Has changed pattern with flying | 56 | 9.3 | 44 | 13 | .08 |
| Avoids flying | 18 | 3.0 | 18 | 5.4 | .08 |
| Only takes short flights ≤ 1 hour in length | 4 | 0.7 | 2 | 0.6 | .99 |
Abbreviations: SLNB, sentinel lymph node biopsy; ALND, axillary lymph node dissection; IVs, intravenous catheters.
*
Women who answered the question with “not applicable” were excluded from the denominator.