Drug treatments for mastalgia: 17 years experience in the Cardiff Mastalgia Clinic

Area of Science:

• Medicine
• Pharmacology
• Women's Health

Background:

• Mastalgia, or breast pain, is a common condition presenting to medical practitioners.
• While many cases resolve with reassurance after excluding malignancy, severe pain can impact quality of life, necessitating drug treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy and safety of drug treatments for cyclical and non-cyclical mastalgia.
• To compare the effectiveness of danazol, bromocriptine, and evening primrose oil in managing mastalgia.

Main Methods:

• A therapeutic trial of drug treatment was administered to 324 patients with cyclical mastalgia and 90 with non-cyclical mastalgia at the Cardiff Mastalgia Clinic.
• Efficacy and adverse events were recorded for danazol, bromocriptine, and evening primrose oil.

Main Results:

• A clinically useful response was achieved in 92% of cyclical mastalgia patients and 64% of non-cyclical mastalgia patients.
• Danazol demonstrated the highest efficacy, with bromocriptine and evening primrose oil showing equivalent results.
• Evening primrose oil was associated with significantly fewer adverse events compared to danazol and bromocriptine.

Conclusions:

• Drug therapy is an effective option for mastalgia, particularly cyclical mastalgia, when conservative management fails.
• Evening primrose oil presents a favorable safety profile with comparable efficacy to other treatments for mastalgia.