Prospective study of pain outcomes associated with contralateral prophylactic mastectomy in women with nonhereditary breast cancer.

Abstract

6587 Background: Women with nonhereditary breast cancer are increasingly undergoing contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM). We examined pain severity and the impact of pain on the lives of women who underwent CPM compared to those who did not. We also examined the associations between age, race/ethnicity, reconstruction and pain outcomes. Methods: Between 2012 and 2015, we recruited women with newly diagnosed nonhereditary breast cancer who were planned for surgery. We assessed pain with the Brief Pain Inventory at initial surgical consultation and at 1, 6, 12, and 18 months after surgery. The repeated measures model was used to assess the association between pain severity or interference and CPM status over different time points adjusting for other covariates. Results: Of 288 women enrolled (mean age 56 years, 58% non-Hispanic White, 17% non-Hispanic Black), 50 underwent CPM, 163 had unilateral mastectomy, and 75 had breast conserving surgery. Mean pain severity was higher at 1 month (2.78 vs 1.9, p = .01) and 6 months (2.79 vs 1.96, p = .03) after surgery in women with CPM versus those without. In the multivariable repeated measures model adjusted for time, age, race/ethnicity and reconstruction status, there was a significant interaction between time and CPM for pain severity (p < .01) but not interference (p = .13). This suggests that CPM patients had higher pain severity in the first 6 months after surgery, but their pain scores decreased by 12 months becoming similar to women without CPM. Black women had higher pain severity (mean difference 1.35, standard error [SE] 0.35; p < .01) and interference (mean difference 0.91, SE 0.32; p < .01) compared to White women with or without CPM. There was no association between age or reconstruction status and pain severity or interference. Conclusions: Pain severity in patients undergoing CPM is highest during the first 6 months after surgery. Women considering CPM should be counseled about this potential outcome. Race/ethnic disparities exist in pain management, pain perceptions and communication of pain. Black women undergoing breast surgery report worse pain outcomes than White women regardless of CPM status.