Table 1.
Characteristics of study participants (n=139)a
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Age – yr | 57.0±9.7 |
| Education | |
| High school or less | 28 (20%) |
| Some college | 50 (36%) |
| College degree or more | 61 (44%) |
| Self-reported race – no. (%) | |
| White | 80 (58%) |
| Black | 54 (39%) |
| Other | 5 (4%) |
| Occupation | |
| Professional | 52 (37%) |
| Clerical or service | 20 (14%) |
| Homemaker, student, or unemployed | 11 (8%) |
| Other or unknown | 13 (9%) |
| Retired | 43 (31%) |
| Years since cancer diagnosis | 6.9±3.8 |
| Cancer stage | |
| I | 56 (40%) |
| II | 1 (1%) |
| III | 43 (31%) |
| Data not available | 39 (28%) |
| No. of nodes removed | 15.2±8.2 |
| Chemotherapy | 113 (81%) |
| Radiation | 110 (79%) |
| Cancer medications taken at study entry | |
| Tamoxifen | 17 (12%) |
| Aromatase inhibitor | 1 (1%) |
| Years since Lymphedema diagnosis | 5.0±3.7 |
| Arm Volume Percent Difference | 16.0±15.1 |
| Arm Volume Percent Difference | |
| Stage 0 (<5%) | 30 (22%) |
| Stage I (5 – <10%) | 21 (15%) |
| Stage II (10 – <30%) | 63 (45%) |
| Stage III (≥30%) | 25 (18%) |
| Common Toxicity Criteria Lymphedema grade | |
| 0 | 12 (9%) |
| 1 | 29 (21%) |
| 2 | 58 (42%) |
| 3 | 40 (29%) |
| Norman Lymphedema Surveyb | |
| No lymphedema (No symptoms) | 11 (8%) |
| Mild lymphedema (1–3 symptoms) | 62 (45%) |
| Moderate+ lymphedema (≥4 symptoms) | 66 (48%) |
| Number of symptoms | 5.5±2.8 |
| Severity of symptoms | 2.0±0.7 |
a
Continuous variables are mean ± standard deviation. Categorical variables are n (%) and may exceed 100% due to rounding error.
b
Data were reported by patients regarding 14 symptoms: rings too tight, watch too tight, bracelets too tight, clothing too tight, puffiness, knuckles not visible, veins not visible, skin feels leathery, arm feels tired, pain, pitting, swelling after exercise, difficulty writing, or other. Severity of symptoms is the mean for all 14 symptoms, with the possible severity score for each ranging from 0 (no symptom) to 4 (very severe).