Preoperative Breast Pain Predicts Persistent Breast Pain and Disability After Breast Cancer Surgery
- PMID: 25527442
- PMCID: PMC4470873
- DOI: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2014.11.292
Preoperative Breast Pain Predicts Persistent Breast Pain and Disability After Breast Cancer Surgery
Abstract
Context: Approximately 30% of the women report pain in the affected breast before breast cancer surgery.
Objectives: The purpose of this secondary analysis of our prospective study was to determine how women who experienced both preoperative and persistent postsurgical breast pain (n=107) differed from women who did not report preoperative breast pain and did (n=158) or did not (n=122) experience persistent postsurgical breast pain.
Methods: Differences in demographic and clinical characteristics were evaluated. Linear mixed effects (LME) modeling was used to evaluate for group differences in symptom severity, function, sensation, and quality of life (QOL) over time.
Results: Between-group differences in demographic and clinical characteristics as well as trajectories of shoulder function and QOL were identified. Women with both preoperative and persistent postsurgical breast pain were younger; were more likely to report swelling, strange sensations, hardness, and numbness in the affected breast before surgery; and were more likely to have reconstruction at the time of surgery. Women with both preoperative and persistent postsurgical breast pain had more biopsies in the prior year, more lymph nodes removed, and reported more severe acute postsurgical pain than women without preoperative breast pain. The LME modeling revealed significant group effects for most outcomes evaluated. Over the six months of the study, women with both preoperative and persistent postsurgical pain had persistently poorer shoulder flexion and physical well-being than women without preoperative breast pain.
Conclusion: Investigations of the etiology and molecular mechanisms of preoperative breast pain, as well as interventions for this high-risk group, are needed.
Keywords: Breast cancer; linear modeling; persistent postsurgical pain; preoperative pain.
Copyright © 2015 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Conflict of interest statement
Figures




Similar articles
-
Identification of patient subgroups and risk factors for persistent arm/shoulder pain following breast cancer surgery.Eur J Oncol Nurs. 2014 Jun;18(3):242-53. doi: 10.1016/j.ejon.2013.12.002. Epub 2014 Jan 29. Eur J Oncol Nurs. 2014. PMID: 24485012 Free PMC article.
-
Is chronic postsurgical pain surgery-induced? A study of persistent postoperative pain following breast reconstruction.Breast. 2018 Feb;37:119-125. doi: 10.1016/j.breast.2017.11.001. Epub 2017 Nov 13. Breast. 2018. PMID: 29145033 Free PMC article.
-
Persistent breast pain following breast cancer surgery is associated with persistent sensory changes, pain interference, and functional impairments.J Pain. 2014 Dec;15(12):1227-37. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2014.08.014. J Pain. 2014. PMID: 25439318 Free PMC article.
-
Chronic postsurgical pain following breast reconstruction: a commentary and critique.Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2018 Jun;169(2):209-216. doi: 10.1007/s10549-018-4687-0. Epub 2018 Jan 30. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2018. PMID: 29383627 Review.
-
Can acute pain treatment reduce postsurgical comorbidity after breast cancer surgery? A literature review.Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:641508. doi: 10.1155/2015/641508. Epub 2015 Oct 1. Biomed Res Int. 2015. PMID: 26495309 Free PMC article. Review.
Cited by
-
Polymorphisms in Cytokine Genes Are Associated With Higher Levels of Fatigue and Lower Levels of Energy in Women After Breast Cancer Surgery.J Pain Symptom Manage. 2016 Nov;52(5):695-708.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2016.04.014. Epub 2016 Sep 21. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2016. PMID: 27664835 Free PMC article.
-
Treatment for chest pain intercurrence after breast cancer surgery using Godoy's intermittent skin therapy.Int J Health Sci (Qassim). 2021 Sep-Oct;15(5):42-45. Int J Health Sci (Qassim). 2021. PMID: 34548862 Free PMC article.
-
Prevalence of pain 6 months after surgery: a prospective observational study.BMC Anesthesiol. 2016 Oct 10;16(1):91. doi: 10.1186/s12871-016-0261-7. BMC Anesthesiol. 2016. PMID: 27724844 Free PMC article.
-
Chronic pain and local pain in usually painless conditions including neuroma may be due to compressive proximal neural lesion.Front Pain Res (Lausanne). 2023 Feb 20;4:1037376. doi: 10.3389/fpain.2023.1037376. eCollection 2023. Front Pain Res (Lausanne). 2023. PMID: 36890855 Free PMC article.
-
Pre-Surgery Demographic, Clinical, and Symptom Characteristics Associated with Different Self-Reported Cognitive Processes in Patients with Breast Cancer.Cancers (Basel). 2022 Jul 5;14(13):3281. doi: 10.3390/cancers14133281. Cancers (Basel). 2022. PMID: 35805053 Free PMC article.
References
-
- Katz J, Seltzer Z. Transition from acute to chronic postsurgical pain: risk factors and protective factors. Expert Rev Neurother. 2009;9:723–744. - PubMed
-
- Bruce J, Thornton AJ, Powell R, et al. Psychological, surgical, and sociodemographic predictors of pain outcomes after breast cancer surgery: a population-based cohort study. Pain. 2014;155:232–243. - PubMed
Publication types
MeSH terms
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Medical