Persistent Pain After Breast Cancer Treatment With Docetaxel

Breast cancer treatment is for many patients followed by sequelae, such as persistent pain, sensory disturbances, lymphedema and reduced physical function. These undesired consequences of the treatment are a major clinical problem, with persistent pain affecting 25-60%, sensory disturbances 20-80%, lymphedema 2-86% and reduced physical function 13-28% of patients. Development of persistent pain after breast cancer treatment, involves a complex pathophysiology that involves pre-, intra- and postoperative factors. Several risk factors for the development of persistent pain after breast cancer treatment have been identified; young age, psychosocial factors, surgical procedure and radiation therapy. Neurotoxicity is a well know attribute of many chemotherapeutic agents, such as taxanes. The purpose of this nationwide study is to retrospectively examine a cohort of breast cancer patients treated with docetaxel, to clarify if docetaxel may influence the prevalence and intensity of persistent pain and other sequelae.