Chronic Pain After Breast Surgery: A Prospective, Observational Study

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Pain Medicine
• Surgical Outcomes

Background:

• Chronic pain affects 20-30% of patients post-breast surgery.
• Identifying predictive factors is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prospectively examine surgical, demographic, and psychosocial factors associated with chronic pain 6 months after breast surgery.

Main Methods:

• Patients completed validated questionnaires preoperatively.
• Pain at 6 months was quantified using the Pain Burden Index (PBI).
• Surgical types and axillary procedures were categorized; statistical analyses included ANOVA and Spearman's Rank Correlation.

Main Results:

• Axillary dissection was associated with higher PBI compared to SLNB and no axillary surgery (p < 0.001).
• No significant differences in PBI were found between primary breast surgical types or surgical duration.
• Younger age, higher BMI, and higher preoperative anxiety, depression, and catastrophizing scores correlated with higher 6-month PBI.

Conclusions:

• Axillary dissection is the primary surgical factor linked to increased 6-month post-surgical pain.
• Patient characteristics like younger age, higher BMI, and elevated preoperative psychological distress (anxiety, depression, catastrophizing) are significant predictors of persistent pain.