Table 3.
Baseline characteristics of participants in the four arms of the WISER Survivor trial
| Control group n = 90 | Exercise n = 87 | Weight-loss n = 87 | Exercise and weight-loss n = 87 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal characteristics | ||||
| Age in years (mean + SD) | 59.0 (8.5) | 59.1 (8.1) | 59.4 (9.2) | 60.0 (9.0) |
| BMI in kg/m2 (mean + SD) | 34.0 (5.7) | 34.0 (6.2) | 33.8 (5.6) | 34.2 (6.3) |
| Race White n (%) | 66 (73%) | 50 (57%) | 52 (60%) | 50 (57%) |
| Black | 22 (24%) | 36 (41%) | 32 (37%) | 32 (37%) |
| Other | 2 (2%) | 1 (1%) | 3 (3%) | 5 (6%) |
| Educational status high school or less n (%) | 19 (21%) | 15 (17%) | 12 (14%) | 18 (21%) |
| Some college | 28 (31%) | 29 (33%) | 36 (41%) | 29 (33%) |
| College Grad or more | 43 (48%) | 43 (49%) | 39 (45%) | 40 (46%) |
| Lifestyle | ||||
| Energy intake at baseline in kcal/day (mean + SD) | 1787 (957) | 1689 (809) | 1727 (1135) | 1665 (946) |
| Physical activity level at baseline in MET-hr./week (median [IQR]) | 5.0 [2.3, 10.3] | 4.0 [1.4, 10.0] | 5.4 [1.5, 14.5] | 2.9 [0.5, 11.3] |
| Clinical characteristics | ||||
| Time since diagnosis in years, mean + SD | 8.1 (5.1) | 7.7 (5.4) | 7.5 (5.6) | 7.3 (5.1) |
| Cancer stage at diagnosisa 0 n (%) | 10 (11%) | 6 (7%) | 5 (6%) | 3 (3%) |
| I | 18 (20%) | 23 (26%) | 17 (20%) | 14 (16%) |
| II | 22 (24%) | 23 (26%) | 28 (32%) | 28 (32%) |
| III | 16 (18%) | 10 (11%) | 18 (21%) | 19 (22%) |
| Unknown | 24 (27%) | 25 (29%) | 19 (22%) | 23 (26%) |
| Number of lymph nodes removed (mean + SD) | 12.3 (9.3) | 12.7 (9.4) | 12.5 (9.9) | 12.0 (8.3) |
| Radiation therapy n (% yes) | 73 (81%) | 73 (84%) | 69 (79%) | 73 (84%) |
| Chemotherapy n (% yes) | 74 (82%) | 65 (75%) | 71 (82%) | 79 (91%) |
| Currently on tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors n (% yes) | 41 (46%) | 35 (40%) | 32 (37%) | 30 (34%) |
| Breast cancer-related lymphedema characteristics | ||||
| Interlimb volume difference in percentage (mean + SD) | +9.6 (14.4) | +8.8 (16.6) | +8.8 (13.5) | +7.6 (13.7) |
| Self-report of lymphedema (Norman survey [49]) | ||||
| Overall score for extremity | 3.38 (2.72) | 3.47 (2.65) | 3.23 (2.71) | 3.22 (2.71) |
| Overall score for breast/torso | 0.94 (0.88) | 1.10 (1.01) | 0.84 (0.90) | 0.97 (0.95) |
| # of symptoms reported (range 0–14)b | 5.50 (2.81) | 5.74 (2.71) | 5.18 (2.76) | 5.03 (2.81) |
| Symptom severity (range 0–4)2 | 1.92 (0.71) | 1.96 (0.81) | 1.81 (0.74) | 1.84 (0.79) |
a
Based on self-report.
b
Possible values were zero (did not have symptom) to four (very severe) for each symptom; there were 14 possible symptoms (rings too tight, watch too tight, bracelets too tight, clothing too tight, puffiness, couldn’t see knuckles, couldn’t see veins, skin felt leathery, arm felt tired, pain, pitting, swelling after exercise, difficulty writing, or ‘other’).