Chronic pain is a common consequence of breast cancer (BC) and its treatments. Pain neuroscience education (PNE) is a non-pharmacological intervention that adopts a biopsychosocial approach and has already been proven to be effective for different chronic pain syndromes. The present review aims to critically assess clinical trials comparing the efficacy of PNE to traditional biomedical education (BME) in reducing BC-related pain and improving quality of life. We conducted a literature search in scientific databases, including all studies regarding PNE use specifically for BC-related pain. Ongoing randomized controlled and observational studies were identified from ClinicalTrials.gov and congress proceedings. A total of eight clinical trials met the review criteria. The participants were all administered physical therapy and assigned to receive either BME or PNE interventions. Among the completed clinical studies, one reported no statistically relevant differences between the two groups, whereas the other showed lower levels of pain-related indexes in the PNE population compared to the BME one. While the current literature is inconclusive regarding the effectiveness of PNE for managing BC pain, we strongly support the need for further trials, as PNE could empower BC patients in both prevention of and coping with pain, offering the advantage of having no side effects.
慢性疼痛是乳腺癌及其治疗后的常见症状。疼痛神经科学教育作为一种非药物干预手段，采用生物心理社会模式，已被证实对多种慢性疼痛综合征具有疗效。本综述旨在系统评估比较疼痛神经科学教育与传统生物医学教育在缓解乳腺癌相关疼痛及改善生活质量方面疗效的临床试验。我们通过科学数据库进行文献检索，纳入所有针对乳腺癌相关疼痛的疼痛神经科学教育研究，并从ClinicalTrials.gov及学术会议记录中识别正在进行的随机对照与观察性研究。共八项临床试验符合纳入标准。所有参与者均接受物理治疗，并被分配接受生物医学教育或疼痛神经科学教育干预。在已完成的临床研究中，一项报告显示两组间无统计学显著差异，而另一项研究表明疼痛神经科学教育组患者的疼痛相关指标水平低于生物医学教育组。尽管现有文献对疼痛神经科学教育管理乳腺癌疼痛的疗效尚未形成定论，但我们强烈建议开展进一步临床试验，因为疼痛神经科学教育既能帮助乳腺癌患者预防疼痛，又能增强其应对疼痛的能力，且具有无副作用的优势。
Empowering beyond Pain: Pain Neuroscience Education Interventions in Breast Cancer Survivorship Care
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家