The DOI matches its Crossref record; 36 of the 36 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Prevalence of and Factors Associated With Persistent Pain Following Breast Cancer Surgery
Abstract
CONTEXT: Persistent pain and sensory disturbances following surgical treatment for breast cancer is a significant clinical problem. The pathogenic mechanisms are complex and may be related to patient characteristics, surgical technique, and adjuvant therapy. OBJECTIVE: To examine prevalence of and factors associated with persistent pain after surgical treatment for breast cancer. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: A nationwide cross-sectional questionnaire study of 3754 women aged 18 to 70 years who received surgery and adjuvant therapy (if indicated) for primary breast cancer in Denmark between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2006. A study questionnaire was sent to the women between January and April 2008. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence, location, and severity of persistent pain and sensory disturbances in 12 well-defined treatment groups assessed an average of 26 months after surgery, and adjusted odds ratio (OR) of reported pain and sensory disturbances with respect to age, surgical technique, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. RESULTS: By June 2008, 3253 of 3754 eligible women (87%) returned the questionnaire. A total of 1543 patients (47%) reported pain, of whom 201 (13%) had severe pain, 595 (39%) had moderate pain, and 733 (48%) had light pain. Factors associated with chronic pain included young age (18-39 years: OR, 3.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.25-5.82; P < .001) and adjuvant radiotherapy (OR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.08-2.07; P = .03), but not chemotherapy (OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.85-1.21; P = .91). Axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) was associated with increased likelihood of pain (OR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.43-2.19; P < .001) compared with sentinel lymph node dissection. Risk of sensory disturbances was associated with young age (18-39 years: OR, 5.00; 95% CI, 2.87-8.69; P < .001) and ALND (OR, 4.97; 95% CI, 3.92-6.30; P < .001). Pain complaints from other parts of the body were associated with increased risk of pain in the surgical area (P < .001). A total of 306 patients (20%) with pain had contacted a physician within the prior 3 months for pain complaints in the surgical area. CONCLUSION: Two to 3 years after breast cancer treatment, persistent pain and sensory disturbances remain clinically significant problems among Danish women who received surgery in 2005 and 2006.
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In the citing paper
“Given the persistent nature of pain after BC treatment,7–9 developing the patient’s ability to cope with the pain rather than eliminating the pain per se is an important clinical goal, pointing to the relevance of contemporary CBTs for targeting these pain processes.”
From Optimising psychological treatment for pain after breast cancer: a factorial design study protocol in Denmark (2023) · cites this paper as [8]
In the citing paper
“Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women [1], and a majority of women report persistent psychological and physiological symptoms after breast cancer surgery [3–5].”
In the citing paper
“The data clearly show that the presence32 and intensity of preoperative chronic pain,6,33–35 the intensity of acute postoperative pain,6,23,32,33,36 the time spent in severe pain after surgery,6 pain intensity in the weeks after surgery,35,37,38 and pain in other body parts32,34,39 reliably predict CPSP across a range of surgical procedures.”
From Chronic postsurgical pain: From risk factor identification to multidisciplinary management at the Toronto General Hospital Transitional Pain Service (2019) · cites this paper as [39]
In the citing paper
“In a widely cited nationwide cross-sectional study (n=3253) from Denmark, 47% of women reported having pain in the surgical area two to three years after undergoing a mastectomy or breast conserving surgery for primary breast cancer, and 13% reported severe pain [13].”
Citations
Cites
Persistent postsurgical pain: risk factors and prevention
Kehlet, H., Jensen, T. S., & Woolf, C. J. (2006) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(06)68700-x · Cited by 4,086
Self-citationBreivik, H., Borchgrevink, P. C., Allen, S. M., Rosseland, L. A., Romundstad, L., Breivik Hals, E. K., Kvarstein, G., & Stubhaug, A. (2008) · British Journal of Anaesthesia · doi:10.1093/bja/aen103 · Cited by 2,108
Montazeri, A. (2008) · Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research · doi:10.1186/1756-9966-27-32 · Cited by 773
Goldhirsch, A., Wood, W. C., Gelber, R. D., Coates, A. S., Thurlimann, B. J. K., & Senn, H.-J. (2003) · Journal of Clinical Oncology · doi:10.1200/jco.2003.04.576 · Cited by 699
Measurement of pain: Patient preference does not confound pain measurement
Kremer, E. F., Atkinson, H. J., & Ignelzi, R. J. (1981) · Pain · doi:10.1016/0304-3959(81)90199-8 · Cited by 595
Risk Factors for Chronic Pain Following Breast Cancer Surgery: A Prospective Study
Poleshuck, E. L., Katz, J., Andrus, C. H., Hogan, L. A., Jung, B. F., Kulick, D. I., & Dworkin, R. H. (2006) · Journal of Pain · doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2006.02.007 · Cited by 552
Neuropathic pain following breast cancer surgery: proposed classification and research update
Jung, B. F., Ahrendt, G. M., Oaklander, A. L., & Dworkin, R. H. (2003) · Pain · doi:10.1016/s0304-3959(03)00241-0 · Cited by 476
Risk factors for acute pain and its persistence following breast cancer surgery
Katz, J., Poleshuck, E. L., Andrus, C. H., Hogan, L. A., Jung, B. F., Kulick, D. I., & Dworkin, R. H. (2005) · Pain · doi:10.1016/j.pain.2005.09.008 · Cited by 363
Preincisional Paravertebral Block Reduces the Prevalence of Chronic Pain After Breast Surgery
Kairaluoma, P. M., Bachmann, M. S., Rosenberg, P. H., & Pere, P. J. (2006) · Anesthesia & Analgesia · doi:10.1213/01.ane.0000230603.92574.4e · Cited by 275
Möller, S., Jensen, M., Ejlertsen, B., Bjerre, K., Larsen, M. J., Hansen, H. B., Christiansen, P., & Mouridsen, H. T. (2008) · Acta Oncologica · doi:10.1080/02841860802059259 · Cited by 273
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Items 901–907 of 907
Karaçay, T., Pınarbaşı, A., & Altıparmak, B. (2026) · Muğla Sıtkı Koçman Üniversitesi Tıp Dergisi · doi:10.47572/muskutd.1788154
Li, Y., Reed, S. D., Winger, J. G., Kelleher, S. A., Fisher, H. M., Zullig, L. L., & Somers, T. J. (2026) · Palliative & Supportive Care · doi:10.1017/s1478951526103393
Upreti, P., Hayaran, N., Singh, R., & Saili, A. (2026) · PAIN JOINTS SPINE · doi:10.1922/pjs.16.3s.2026.589
Weidinger, C. S., Idrissi, A., Abuamra, K. S., Daoud, N., Kulkarni, P., Hassan, M., & Smirnov, V. (2026) · Cureus · doi:10.7759/cureus.116763
Khushboo, Kumar, S. A., Rajeev, K. M., & Kumar, S. (2026) · Saudi Journal of Anaesthesia · doi:10.4103/sja.sja_41_26
Fearn, N., Kilbreath, S. L., Dylke, E. S., Wang, W., Llanos, C., Ahern, V., Elder, E. E., Meybodi, F., Olsen, N., & Stuart, K. E. (2026) · Breast Cancer · doi:10.1007/s12282-026-01919-3
Neuropathic Component of Pain in Cancer
Kang, J. H., & Bruera, E. D. (2013) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-0-85729-230-8_13
Metadata
- Authors
- Gärtner, R., Jensen, M.-B., Nielsen, J., Ewertz, M., Kroman, N., & Kehlet, H.
- Affiliations
- University of Copenhagen (DK)
- Corresponding author
- Gärtner, Rune
- Venue
- JAMA
- Publisher
- American Medical Association (AMA)
- Published
- 2009-11-11
- Volume
- 302
- Issue
- 18
- Pages
- 1985
- ISSN
- 0002-9955 (ISSN-L)
- 0098-7484
- OpenAlex
- W1981701335
- Cited by
- 908
- References
- 36
- Citations by year
- 2026: 36 · 2025: 53 · 2024: 51 · 2023: 56 · 2022: 69 · 2021: 59 · 2020: 70 · 2019: 53 · 2018: 63 · 2017: 66 · 2016: 50 · 2015: 43 · 2014: 60 · 2013: 65 · 2012: 47
- FWCI
- 18.97
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- JAMA (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- University of Southern Denmark Research Portal (University of Southern Denmark) (publishedVersion)
- Research at the University of Copenhagen (University of Copenhagen) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer survivorship and care
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine › Anesthesia and Pain Management
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cancer Research › Breast Cancer Treatment Studies
- Keywords
- chronic pain, breast cancer surgery, sensory disturbances, axillary lymph node dissection, sentinel lymph node dissection, adjuvant radiotherapy, adjuvant chemotherapy, postoperative pain, young age, prevalence, risk factors, breast cancer survivors, breast-conserving surgery, mastectomy, lymphocele, lymphedema
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Breast Neoplasms, Chronic Disease, Combined Modality Therapy, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Mastectomy, Middle Aged, Pain, Pain Measurement, Postoperative Pain, Surveys and Questionnaires, Registries, Risk Factors, Prevalence, Young Adult
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