Chronic postsurgical pain and cancer: the catch of surviving the unsurvivable

Identifying risk factors for chronic postsurgical pain and preventive measures: a comprehensive update

INTRODUCTION

Chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) is a prevalent condition that can diminish health-related quality of life, cause functional deficits, and lead to patient distress. Rates of CPSP are higher for certain types of surgeries than others (thoracic, breast, or lower extremity amputations) but can occur after even uncomplicated minimally invasive procedures. CPSP has multiple mechanisms, but always starts as acute postsurgical pain, which involves inflammatory processes and may encompass direct or indirect neural injury. Risk factors for CPSP are largely known but many, such as female sex, younger age, or type of surgery, are not modifiable. The best strategy against CPSP is to quickly and effectively treat acute postoperative pain using a multimodal analgesic regimen that is safe, effective, and spares opioids.

AREAS COVERED

This is a narrative review of the literature.

EXPERT OPINION

Every surgical patient is at some risk for CPSP. Control of acute postoperative pain appears to be the most effective approach, but principles of good opioid stewardship should apply. The role of regional anesthetics as analgesics is gaining interest and may be appropriate for certain patients. Finally, patients should be better informed about their relative risk for CPSP.

Strategies for Optimizing Perioperative Pain Management for the Cancer Patient

Effective management of pain in patients with cancer impacts quality of life and willingness to receive disease-directed treatment. This review focuses on preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative strategies for management of perioperative pain in the patient with cancer. Managing perioperative pain in special populations, including patients with preoperative opioid use, those with a history of substance abuse, and patients near the end of life are also addressed.

Chronic pain after breast surgery: incidence, associated factors, and impact on quality of life, an observational prospective study

BACKGROUND

Chronic pain after breast surgery (CPBS) has a disabling impact on postoperative health status. Mainly because of the lack of a clear definition, inconsistency does exist in the literature concerning both the actual incidence and the risk factors associated to CPBS. The aim of this prospective, observational study is to describe the incidence of and risk factors for CPBS, according to the definition provided by the IASP taskforce. The impact of CPBS on patients' function and quality of life is also described.

METHODS

Women aged 18+ undergoing oncological or reconstructive breast surgery from Jan until Apr 2018 at the Breast Unit of Careggi Hospital (Florence, Italy) were prospectively observed. Postoperative pain was measured at 0 h, 3 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h, 48 h, and 3 months (CPBS) after surgery. Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative factors were compared in CPBS and No-CPBS groups through multivariate logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Among the 307 patients considered in this study, the incidence of CPBS was 28% [95% CI 23.1-33.4%]. Results from the logistic regression analysis suggest that axillary surgery (OR [95% CI], 2.99 [1.13-7.87], p = 0.03), preoperative use of pain medications (OR [95% CI], 2.04 [1.20-3.46], p = 0.01), and higher dynamic NRS values at 6 h postoperatively (OR [95% CI], 1.28 [1.05-1.55], p = 0.01) were all independent predictors for CPBS.

CONCLUSIONS

Chronic pain after breast surgery is a frequent complication. In our cohort, long-term use of analgesics for pre-existing chronic pain, axillary surgery, and higher dynamic NRS values at 6 h postoperatively were all factors associated with increased risk of developing CPBS. The possibility to early detect persistent pain, particularly in those patients at high risk for CPBS, might help physicians to more effectively prevent pain chronicisation.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov registration NCT04309929 .

Persistent breast pain in post-surgery breast cancer survivors and women with no history of breast surgery or cancer: associations with pain catastrophizing, perceived breast cancer risk, breast cancer worry, and emotional distress

Background: Persistent breast pain (PBP) is prevalent among breast cancer survivors and has powerful negative psychological consequences. The present study provided a first test of the hypothesis that: (a) pain catastrophizing, (b) heightened perceived risk of cancer, and (c) worry that pain indicates cancer may be independent mediating links between breast cancer survivors' experiences of PBP and heightened emotional distress. Methodology: We assessed levels of PBP and psychological factors in breast cancer survivors (Survivor Group: n = 417; Stages I-IIIA; White = 88.7%; Age M = 59.4 years) at their first surveillance mammogram post-surgery (6-15 months). A comparison group of women without histories of breast surgery or cancer (Non-cancer Group: n = 587; White = 78.7%; Age M = 57.4 years) was similarly assessed at the time of a routine screening mammogram. All women completed measures of breast pain, pain catastrophizing, perceived breast cancer risk, and worry that breast pain indicates cancer, as well as measures of emotional distress (symptoms of anxiety, symptoms of depression, and mammography-specific distress). Analyses included race, age, BMI, education, and menopausal status as covariates, with significance set at 0.05. Results: As expected, PBP prevalence was significantly higher in the Survivor Group than in the Non-cancer Group (50.6% vs. 17.5%). PBP+ survivors also had significantly higher levels of emotional distress, pain catastrophizing, mammography-specific distress, and worry that breast pain indicates cancer, compared to PBP- survivors. Structural equation modeling results were significant for all hypothesized mediational pathways. Interestingly, comparisons of PBP+ to PBP- women in the Non-cancer Group showed similar results. Conclusion: These findings suggest the importance of (a) pain catastrophizing, (b) perceived breast cancer risk and, (c) worry that breast pain may indicate cancer, as potential targets for interventions aimed at reducing the negative psychological impact of PBP in post-surgery breast cancer survivors, as well as in unaffected women with PBP due to unknown reasons.