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Review
. 2021 Oct 16;13(20):5191.
doi: 10.3390/cancers13205191.

A Targeted Approach to Post-Mastectomy Pain and Persistent Pain following Breast Cancer Treatment

Philip J Chang  1 , Arash Asher  1 , Sean R Smith  2
Affiliations
Review

A Targeted Approach to Post-Mastectomy Pain and Persistent Pain following Breast Cancer Treatment

Philip J Chang et al. Cancers (Basel). .

Abstract

Persistent pain following treatment for breast cancer is common and often imprecisely labeled as post-mastectomy pain syndrome (PMPS). PMPS is a disorder with multiple potential underlying causes including intercostobrachial nerve injury, intercostal neuromas, phantom breast pain, and pectoralis minor syndrome. Adding further complexity to the issue are various musculoskeletal pain syndromes including cervical radiculopathy, shoulder impingement syndrome, frozen shoulder, and myofascial pain that may occur concurrently and at times overlap with PMPS. These overlapping pain syndromes may be difficult to separate from one another, but precise diagnosis is essential, as treatment for each pain generator may be distinct. The purpose of this review is to clearly outline different pain sources based on anatomic location that commonly occur following treatment for breast cancer, and to provide tailored and evidence-based recommendations for the evaluation and treatment of each disorder.

Keywords: cancer rehabilitation; persistent pain in breast cancer; post-mastectomy pain; post-mastectomy pain syndrome.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Pain Sources, Anterior View. Green: Intercostobrachial Nerve Injury; Blue: Shoulder Impingement Syndrome; Purple: Pectoralis Minor Syndrome/Neurogenic Thoracic Outlet Syndrome; Yellow: Adhesive Capsulitis; Red Lines: Intercostal and Intercostal Cutaneous Branch Neuromas Along Surgical Scars.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Pain Sources, Posterior View. Brown: Myofascial Pain; Orange: Cervical Radiculopathy; Pink: Scapulothoracic Bursitis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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