Post-Mastectomy Pain: An Updated Overview on Risk Factors, Predictors, and Markers
Marco Calapai,
Emanuela Esposito,
Luisa Puzzo,
Daniele Alfio Vecchio,
Rosario Blandino,
Giuseppe Bova,
Domenico Quattrone,
Carmen Mannucci,
Ilaria Ammendolia,
Cristina Mondello,
Sebastiano Gangemi,
Gioacchino Calapai,
Luigi Cardia
Affiliations
Marco Calapai
Breast Unit, San Vincenzo Hospital, Azienda Sanitaria Provinciale Messina, 98039 Messina, Italy
Emanuela Esposito
Genetics and Pharmacogenetics Unit, Policlinico Universitario “G. Martino”, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy
Luisa Puzzo
Breast Unit, San Vincenzo Hospital, Azienda Sanitaria Provinciale Messina, 98039 Messina, Italy
Daniele Alfio Vecchio
Breast Unit, San Vincenzo Hospital, Azienda Sanitaria Provinciale Messina, 98039 Messina, Italy
Rosario Blandino
Breast Unit, San Vincenzo Hospital, Azienda Sanitaria Provinciale Messina, 98039 Messina, Italy
Giuseppe Bova
Pain Therapy Unit, San Vincenzo Hospital, Azienda Sanitaria Provinciale Messina, 98039 Messina, Italy
Domenico Quattrone
Pain Therapy Unit, Grande Ospedale Metropolitano “Bianchi-Melacrino-Morelli”, 89133 Reggio Calabria, Italy
Carmen Mannucci
Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Imaging, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy
Ilaria Ammendolia
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy
Cristina Mondello
Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Imaging, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy
Sebastiano Gangemi
School and Operative Unit of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy
Gioacchino Calapai
Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Imaging, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy
Luigi Cardia
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy
After breast surgery, women frequently develop chronic post-mastectomy pain (PMP). PMP refers to the occurrence of pain in and around the area of the mastectomy lasting beyond three months after surgery. The nature of factors leading to PMP is not well known. When PMP is refractory to analgesic treatment, it negatively impacts the lives of patients, increasing emotional stress and disability. For this reason, optimizing the quality of life of patients treated for this pathology has gained more importance. On the basis of the findings and opinions above, we present an overview of risk factors and predictors to be used as potential biomarkers in the personalized management of individual PMP. For this overview, we discuss scientific articles published in peer-reviewed journals written in the English language describing risk factors, predictors, and potential biomarkers associated with chronic pain after breast surgery. Our overview confirms that the identification of women at risk for PMP is fundamental to setting up the best treatment to prevent this outcome. Clinical practice can be planned through the interpretation of genotyping data, choosing drugs, and tailoring doses for each patient with the aim to provide safer and more effective individual analgesic treatment.
