Table 3.
Univariate analysis of risk factors for lymphedema after mastectomy (≥10% WAC)
| Hazard Ratio | 95% Confidence Interval | P Value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| ||||
| Patient Characteristics | ||||
|
| ||||
| Age at diagnosis, years | 1.030 | 1.011 | 1.050 | 0.0021 |
| BMI at diagnosis, kg/m2 | 1.086 | 1.055 | 1.117 | <0.0001 |
|
| ||||
| Surgical Characteristics | ||||
|
| ||||
| Bilateral vs. unilateral mastectomy | 0.654 | 0.427 | 1.004 | 0.0521 |
| Breast reconstruction | 0.283 | 0.186 | 0.430 | <0.0001 |
| ALND vs. SLNB | 11.819 | 6.178 | 22.612 | <0.0001 |
| # LN’s removed | 1.094 | 1.079 | 1.110 | <0.0001 |
|
| ||||
| Pathologic Characteristics | ||||
|
| ||||
| Invasive Tumor Size, cm | 1.225 | 1.115 | 1.346 | <0.0001 |
| # Positive LN’s | 1.091 | 1.066 | 1.116 | <0.0001 |
|
| ||||
| Systemic/Radiation Therapy | ||||
|
| ||||
| Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy | 2.669 | 1.697 | 4.197 | <0.0001 |
| Adjuvant Chemotherapy | 1.810 | 1.165 | 2.812 | 0.0083 |
| Hormonal Therapy | 1.317 | 0.801 | 2.165 | 0.2781 |
| Radiation Therapy | 4.440 | 2.976 | 6.625 | <0.0001 |
Abbreviations: BMI = Body Mass Index, SLNB = Sentinel lymph node biopsy, ALND = Axillary lymph node dissection, LN = lymph node
*
Age, BMI, invasive tumor size, # LN’s removed and # positive LN’s analyzed as continuous variables such that the hazard ratios reflect the change in lymphedema risk associated with a 1-unit increase in the variable
*
Radiation Therapy includes radiation to the breast/chest wall +/− regional lymph node radiation (RLNR)