title: Post-mastectomy pain syndrome: incidence and risks.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Post-mastectomy pain syndrome is defined as a chronic pain that persists beyond the normal healing time of 3 months. It is considered a neuropathic condition that arises after surgery for breast cancer.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the incidence and risk factors of pain syndromes in patients undergoing surgical treatment of breast cancer in the National Cancer Institute.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study is a prospective cohort of women undergoing surgical treatment for breast cancer from September 2008 to June 2009, followed up until 6 months postoperatively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  One hundred seventy-four women were examined. The mean age was 58 years. The incidence of pain syndrome was 52%. Younger women (<40 years) and those who were submitted to axillary lymph node dissection (with more than 15 lymph nodes excised) have shown a significantly increased risk of pain syndrome after surgery for breast cancer (relative risk (RR) =5.23 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11-24.64) and (RR=2.01 95% CI: 1.08-3.75).
authors.affiliation: Federal University of Rio de Janeiro State and National Cancer Institute, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. efabro@inca.gov.br
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alves Nogueira Fabro
authors.forename: Anke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bergmann
authors.forename: Blenda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: do Amaral E Silva
authors.forename: Ana Carolina
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Padula Ribeiro
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: de Souza Abrahão
authors.forename: Maria Giseli
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: da Costa Leite Ferreira
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de Almeida Dias
authors.forename: Luiz Claudio
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Santos Thuler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008408:Mastectomy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D016387:Women's Health