Breast cancer patients who are subjected to severe psychological distress have a higher risk of suffering from pain after breast cancer surgery.

Acute postoperative pain also occurs more commonly in women who already expect pain prior to the surgical intervention.

This is shown by a Finnish study presented today at the 9th Congress of the European Pain Federation EFIC “Pain in Europe IX” in Vienna.

More than 4,000 experts from all over the world discuss the newest developments in pain medicine at this major scientific event.

“Our work shows how important it is to take the patients' emotional state into account to save them persistent severe pain after surgery. This continues to represent a major medical problem”, study author PhD student psychologist Reetta Sipilä (University Hospital of Helsinki) told the EFIC Congress.

“It would be ideal if, with a few simple questions, we could identify those women who suffer from particular emotional pressure or have negative expectations. Suitable support for these patients could reduce at least some of the risk factors for postoperative pain.”

563 breast cancer patients who received surgery at the University Hospital of Helsinki participated in the study, whose aim was to identify possible risk factors for postoperative pain.

Their demographic factors and emotional state were recorded before surgery.

The patients evaluated the pain intensity in the area receiving surgery on a scale from zero to ten on the day before and seven days after the surgery.

The following factors were shown to constitute risk factors for acute postoperative pain persisting throughout the entire first week: severe psychological distress on the patients before surgery, preoperative pain at the area receiving surgery, and removal of lymph nodes in the axillary regions.

A pessimistic attitude by the patients that they should expect severe pain after surgery was shown to be a risk factor for acute pain during the first three days after surgery.

Source: EFIC IX “Pain in Europe”