Factors associated with increased breast cancer-related lymphedema volume

Figures & data

Table I.  Patient characteristics.

	Patients n = 807
Age at time of study, median (range), years	62 (34–91)
Body Mass Index, median (range), kg/m^2	27.1 (15.4–64.1)
Breast cancer characteristics
Age at breast cancer, median (range), years	53 (24–81)
Side (right side), n (%)	392 (49)
Type of surgery
Mastectomy, n (%)	402 (50)
Lumpectomy	395 (50)
None	13 (2)
Radiotherapy, n (%)	781 (97)
Chemotherapy, n (%)	533 (66)
Anti-estrogen drugs, n (%)	427 (53)
Metastatic cancer at inclusion, n (%)	145 (18)
Radiation-induced brachial plexopathy, n (%)	51 (6)
Breast reconstruction, n (%)	94 (12)
Lymphedema
Lymphedema onset delay, median (range), months	22 (6–60)
Duration of lymphedema, median (range), months	20 (1–656)
Past history of cellulitis, n (%)	263 (33)

Table II.  Univariate analysis of factors associated with upper limb lymphedema volume.

	Estimate	Standard error	P-value
Age at cancer diagnosis	1.6	2	0.4189
Right side	16.1	42.2	0.7025
Body Mass Index	39.4	3.7	<.0001
Duration of lymphedema	18.6	3.1	<.0001
Delay from cancer to onset of lymphedema	5.1	3.5	0.1399
Metastatic cancer	16.4	55	0.77
Past history of cellulitis	187.3	44.5	<.0001
Mastectomy	141.4	42.0	0.0008
Radiotherapy	26.7	126.9	0.8336
Chemotherapy	−72.7	44.5	0.1026
Anti-estrogen drugs	−99.2	42.1	0.0187

Table III.  Multivariate analysis of factors associated for upper limb lymphedema volume.

	Estimate*	Standard Error	P-value
Body Mass Index	40.5	3.6	<0.0001
Duration of lymphedema	19.2	3.4	<0.0001
Delay from cancer to onset of lymphedema	10.3	3.4	0.0024
Past history of cellulitis	107.8	42.2	0.0108
Mastectomy	91.2	39.2	0.0204
Radiotherapy	54.2	117.1	0.6435
Chemotherapy	−0.5	43.4	0.991
Anti-estrogen drugs	23.6	41.7	0.57

* Adjusted estimates on all the variables presented in the table