ID: 216904 The Use of Capsaicin for the Treatment of Post-Mastectomy Pain Syndrome

Abstract

Post-Mastectomy Pain (PMP) Syndrome is defined as pain that develops after breast surgery. Chronic PMP is any pain that lasts for >3 months after the surgical procedure (1). In many patients, PMP is debilitating and results in decreased quality of life and increased opioid consumption (1). PMP can occur either due to injury to nerves or the compression of the lateral and medial pectoral nerves at the site of the pectoralis muscle (2). Symptoms typically consist of burning or shooting pain at the site of the mastectomy. Studies have shown that PMP can occur in up to 25% of women who undergo breast surgery (3). First-line treatment for the condition consists of the use of gabapentin or tricyclic antidepressants (4). We present the case of the use of capsaicin for the treatment of PMP for a patient that has failed conservative treatment options. The mechanism of action for capsaicin has been thought to be related to the concept of defunctionalization in which capsaicin has the ability to attenuate hypersensitivity and result in analgesia (5).