Persistent Breast Pain Among Women With Histories of Breast-conserving Surgery for Breast Cancer Compared With Women Without Histories of Breast Surgery or Cancer.

Edmond SN, Shelby RA, Keefe FJ, Fisher HM, Schmidt JE, Soo MS, Skinner CS, Ahrendt GM, Manculich J, Sumkin JH, Zuley ML, Bovbjerg DH. Persistent Breast Pain Among Women With Histories of Breast-conserving Surgery for Breast Cancer Compared With Women Without Histories of Breast Surgery or Cancer. The Clinical Journal of Pain. 2017 Jan 1; 33(1):51-56.

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.    Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions

Search for Abstract from PubMed

---

Abstract:

OBJECTIVES: This study compared persistent breast pain among women who received breast-conserving surgery for breast cancer and women without a history of breast cancer. METHODS: Breast cancer survivors (n = 200) were recruited at their first postsurgical surveillance mammogram (6 to 15 mo postsurgery). Women without a breast cancer history (n = 150) were recruited at the time of a routine screening mammogram. All women completed measures of breast pain, pain interference with daily activities and intimacy, worry about breast pain, anxiety symptoms, and depression symptoms. Demographic and medical information were also collected. RESULTS: Persistent breast pain (duration = 6 mo) was reported by 46.5% of breast cancer survivors and 12.7% of women without a breast cancer history (P < 0.05). Breast cancer survivors also had significantly higher rates of clinically significant persistent breast pain (pain intensity score = 3/10), as well as higher average breast pain intensity and unpleasantness scores. Breast cancer survivors with persistent breast pain had significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms, as well as pain worry and interference, compared with survivors without persistent breast pain or women without a breast cancer history. Anxiety symptoms were significantly higher in breast cancer survivors with persistent breast pain compared with women without a breast cancer history. DISCUSSION: Results indicate that persistent breast pain negatively impacts women with a history of breast-conserving cancer surgery compared with women without that history. Strategies to ameliorate persistent breast pain and to improve adjustment among women with persistent breast pain should be explored for incorporation into standard care for breast cancer survivors.