Cited by 22Cancer survivorship and careWomen's cancer prevention and managementPain Management and Opioid Use

Psychosocial predictors of posttreatment pain after nonmetastatic breast cancer treatment: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies

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Johannsen, M, Frederiksen, Y, Jensen, AB, Zachariae, R·2017·Journal of Pain Research

Abstract

Background: The search for risk factors of pain after breast cancer, which affects a considerable proportion of the women, has primarily focused on clinical factors. The aim of this meta-analysis was to explore the less well-studied psychosocial predictors of pain after breast cancer treatment. Methods: Two independent searches were conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and CINAHL. Eligible studies were prospective, observational studies of women aged ≥18 years, diagnosed and treated for nonmetastatic breast cancer ≥3 months previously. Additional inclusion criteria were that studies had assessed at least one pain outcome and at least one psychosocial predictor. The psychosocial predictors investigated included: 1) psychological–behavioral states, 2) psychological traits, and 3) social support. Effect size correlations (ESr) were chosen as the effect size and pooled using a random effects model. We also explored a number of study characteristics as possible moderators of the effect with meta-regression. Results: Of the total of 13 eligible studies identified, most studies measured psychosocial predictors at presurgery. Neither psychological–behavioral states (ESr: 0.05; p =0.13; K=11) nor psychological traits (ESr: 0.02; p =0.48; K=6) emerged as statistically significant predictors of pain. In contrast, higher levels of social support were statistically significantly associated with less pain (ESr: −0.24; p <0.001; K=4). In studies of psychological–behavioral states, longer follow-up was associated with smaller effect sizes ( p =0.023). Furthermore, older mean sample age was associated with larger effect sizes for both psychological–behavioral states ( p =0.0004) and psychological traits ( p =0.035). Conclusion: The results of this meta-analysis suggest that psychosocial factors measured at presurgery may only be of modest predictive value in identifying women at risk of developing pain after breast cancer treatment. While speculative, psychosocial factors may play a larger role in the postsurgery trajectory, which could be valuable to investigate in future studies. Keywords: breast cancer, pain, predictors, personality traits, social support, behavioral symptoms

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Research works printed but not linked: 4

  1. [4]The IASP Task Force on Taxonomy I Part III: pain terms, a current list with definitions and notes on usage Merskey H Bogduk N Classification of Chronic Pain 2nd ed Seattle, WA IASP Press 1994 209 214
  2. [39]Sterne J Egger M Moher D Adressing reporting biases Higgins J Green S Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Intervention Chichester Wiley-Blackwell 2008 297 333
  3. [47]Andersen KG Duriad HM Jensen HE Kroman N Kehlet H Predictive factors for the development of persistent pain after breast cancer surgery Pain 2015 156 12 2413 2422 26176893
  4. [48]Mejdahl M Mertz B Bidstrup P Preoperative distress predicts persistent pain after breast cancer treatment: a prospective cohort study J Natl Compre Canc Netw 2015 13 8 995 1003 26285245

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Authors
Johannsen, M., Frederiksen, Y., Jensen, A., & Zachariae, R.
Affiliations
  • Aarhus University (DK)
  • Aarhus University Hospital (DK)
Corresponding author
Johannsen, M
Venue
Journal of Pain Research
Published
2017-12
Volume
Volume 11
Pages
23-36
ISSN
1178-7090 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2779584096
Cited by
22
References
68
Citations by year
2025: 1 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 1
FWCI
0.32
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Pain Research (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Dove Medical Press (Taylor and Francis Group) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer survivorship and care
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Women's cancer prevention and management
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine › Pain Management and Opioid Use
Keywords
non-metastatic breast cancer, psychosocial predictors, social support, psychological characteristics, breast cancer survivors, risk factors for pain, personality traits

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