Abstract: Objective To explore the effect of the postoperative early nursing interventions on functional exercise of affected limbs in patients with breast cancer. Methods A total of 42 breast cancer patients undergoing mastectomy were enrolled and divided into intervention group and control group. The routine nursing cares and functional exercise direction were performed in the control group,while the planned and targeted early nursing intervention on the base of routine nursing was performed in the intervention group. The compliance in functional exercise was compared,and the rating of activities of daily living at 7 and 14 day after the operation were observed. Results The responsible leader of the intervention group performed successfully a series of preoperative nursing measures including propaganda of the illness and the importance of functional exercise,mental counseling and humanistic care,and postoperative interventions including demonstration,supervising,checking,feedback and interaction. The compliance in functional exercise rating of activities of daily living in the intervention group were better than those in the control group(P < 0. 05). Conclusion The functional exercise of affected limbs can be carried out in the process of brushing teeth,washing face,eating,dressing and combing the hair according to the condition of patients. The early nursing intervention can improve the compliance in functional exercise,effect of functional exercise and the activities of daily living in the breast cancer patients undergoing mastectomy.