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Treating Persistent Pain After Breast Cancer Surgery

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Abstract

Breast cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers among women, and since the prognosis of breast cancer has substantially improved in past decades, complications of management are becoming increasingly apparent. Persistent pain lasting greater than 3 months after breast cancer surgery is unfortunately a common complication affecting approximately 30% of patients after tumour resection. Persistent breast cancer pain has neuropathic features and is typically mild-to-moderate in intensity, with approximately 10% suffering from severe pain. There is an increasing need to prevent persistent pain through the use of transitional pain programmes and perioperative interventions, and to identify novel treatment modalities to reduce suffering in those who unfortunately develop persistent pain. This review serves to provide an overview on persistent pain after breast cancer surgery, its pathophysiology, and current management strategies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anaesthesia and Pain Management, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada

    James S. Khan

  2. Department of Anaesthesia, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    James S. Khan & Karim S. Ladha

  3. Department of Anaesthesia, St. Michaels’ Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Karim S. Ladha

  4. Department of Anaesthesia, Ottawa University, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Faraj Abdallah

  5. Department of Anaesthesia and Pain Management, Pain Research Unit, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, ON, M5G 2C4, Canada

    Hance Clarke

  6. Transitional Pain Service, Department of Anaesthesia and Pain Management, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Hance Clarke

  7. University of Toronto Centre for the Study of Pain, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Hance Clarke

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  1. James S. Khan
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  4. Hance Clarke
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Correspondence to Hance Clarke.

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JSK, KSL, FA, HC have no conflicts to disclose.

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No funding was received for this work. Funding for the Transitional Pain Service is provided by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. H.C. and K.L are supported by a Merit Awards from the Department of Anaesthesia, University of Toronto.

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Khan, J.S., Ladha, K.S., Abdallah, F. et al. Treating Persistent Pain After Breast Cancer Surgery. Drugs 80, 23–31 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40265-019-01227-5

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