Preliminary results of alternative treatment for postmastectomy pain syndrome: stromal vascular fraction-enriched fat grafting

Abstract

Postmastectomy pain syndrome (PMPS) is defined as chronic pain lasting more than 3 months after surgery. PMPS reduces the quality of life for patients and affects their daily life. Although the pathogenesis of PMPS has not been clearly elucidated, it is strongly suggestive of neuropathic pain caused by damage to the intercostobrachial nerve. While previous studies have used stromal vascular fraction (SVF)-enriched fat grafts in patients with neuralgia, few studies have used it for PMPS. Therefore, the present study evaluated the use of SVF-enriched fat, which includes adipose-derived stem cells with good differentiation capacity, in patients with PMPS to improve quality of life and reduce neuropathic pain. In three patients, the fat was mixed with concentrated SVF using a centrifuge and injected into the primary pain sites. After surgery, in all three cases, the subjective pain scale score decreased significantly over time.

Keywords

• stromal vascular fraction
• mastectomy
• chronic pain
• breast neoplasms
• case reports