Associations Between Catecholaminergic and Serotonergic Genes and Persistent Breast Pain Phenotypes Following Breast Cancer Surgery

In the United States, each year more than 230,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer.66 The majority will undergo breast conserving surgery or mastectomy as part of their treatment regimen. Unfortunately, persistent pain following these procedures is a common problem that has deleterious effects on patients ’ functional status and quality of life (QOL).23,43,68 Estimates of persistent pain following breast cancer surgery range from 25% to 60%.23 This type of persistent pain is characterized by burning, throbbing, or aching in the ipsilateral chest, axilla, and/or arm, and is associated with swelling and weakness.

Source: The Journal of Pain - April 30, 2018 Category: Materials Science Authors: Mitchell R. Knisely, Yvette P. Conley, Kord M. Kober, Betty Smoot, Steven M. Paul, Jon D. Levine, Christine Miaskowski Tags: Original Reports Source Type: research