Education With or Without Exercise and Counseling in Preventing Lymphedema in Women With Stage I, Stage II, or Stage III Breast Cancer Who Are Undergoing Axillary Lymph Node Dissection

Eligibility Criteria:

Newly diagnosed with stage I-III cancer of the female breast

No prior history of carcinoma in situ, lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS), ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), or invasive breast cancer

* Patients with a history of other invasive malignancies are eligible as long as they have completed treatment and are 5 years post-diagnosis; patients with basal cell and squamous cell cancer of the skin are eligible

Neoadjuvant therapy

Patients scheduled to receive any type of radiation therapy to the breast or axilla are eligible; however, they must be registered to this study with pre-surgery measures taken prior to receiving neoadjuvant therapy
Patients scheduled to receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy are also eligible; however, they must be registered to this study with pre-surgery measurements taken prior to receiving neoadjuvant therapy
Patients receiving no neoadjuvant therapy are eligible
May be enrolled on other treatment trials; however, patients enrolled on surgery trials where only one treatment arm is full axillary node dissection are not eligible; NOTE: Patients enrolled on American College of Surgeons Oncology Group (ACOSOG)-Z1071 are eligible to participate in this study; patients concurrently enrolled on this study and ACOSOG-Z1071, may not also be enrolled on the ACOSOG-Z1071 lymphedema sub-study
No documented cardiac conduction disturbances, unstable angina, dementia, or any other chronic disease which, in the opinion of the treating physician, significantly increases mortality over the next 2 years
No diagnosed lymphedema
In order to be properly fitted for the elastic sleeve, eligible patients must have arm measurements for axilla, elbow, and wrist that fall within the ranges for one of the six sleeve sizes
Not currently homebound or dependent upon a walker or wheelchair for mobility
Able to participate in a mild exercise program
Willing to return to the study site for the duration of the study (18 months)
Sentinel (SND) or full axillary node dissection (AND) (no minimum number of nodes required)
Patients with double mastectomy, axillary node dissection and/or radiation on both arms are ineligible; patients who undergo these treatments (i.e., surgery and/or radiation) on the contralateral arm after registration to Step 2 are still eligible to remain in the study; however, it should be documented appropriately on form C-1628 at the conclusion of study participation