I like sharing research with this community. Having easy access to medical journals allows me to share things with you as I find things pertinent to new research being established in the chronic pain field. This month in August 2021 a review of current research regarding breast cancer and chronic pain was published. This article hit home because I too had breast cancer, requiring four surgeries. The authors reviewed research to find a link between having multiple surgeries, which often occurs with breast cancer patients and developing inflammatory symptoms contributing to chronic pain. They cite that “there is a known link between anesthetic medications, immune function, and inflammatory processes.” ( Kujawa, E. et al, 2021) And often inflammatory processes lead to developing long-term pain. More study needs to be done, but they are alerting the anesthetic community to be mindful of this link as we choose which medications to give our patients. Great job authors! Thank you for your efforts!
Take a look at the article, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34342566/ . Spark your appetite for a little knowledge about how we are creating interventions that could make a difference in the field of chronic pain. Working to make this community a little safer, healthier, and hopefully healed.
-Hope for Pain
Kujawa E, Blau A, Rametta L. Anesthesia Related to Breast Cancer Recurrence and Chronic Pain: A Review of Current Research. AANA J. 2021 Aug;89(4):291-298. PMID: 34342566.