Síndrome de la mama fantasma posmastectomía. Estudio de prevalencia y características clínicas en un hospital de tercer nivel

Abstract

ObjectiveTo determine the prevalence of post-mastectomy pain syndrome and phantom breast syndrome in our environment. Patients and methodsWe performed a telephone survey of 50 women who underwent mastectomy between 2002 and 2009 in the General Hospital of Castellon (Spain). The women were asked about the presence of pain before diagnosis of the disease and surgery, post-mastectomy pain syndrome, and phantom breast syndrome. Women with symptoms were asked about their characteristics, time of onset, frequency, duration, and whether or not a specific pharmacological treatment was needed for each syndrome. A descriptive analysis was performed of the data obtained. ResultsA total of 76% of the women surveyed had some kind of strange or painful sensation in the breast scar, 65.8% of whom had painless sensations and 34.2% had painful sensations. Phantom breast syndrome appeared in 38% of the surveyed women and manifested as an itch in the absent nipple in 31.6% of the women. ConclusionsPost-mastectomy pain syndrome and phantom breast syndrome are little known entities, although they prevalent in our environment. These syndromes are complex and multifactorial; therefore, familiarity with their characteristics is essential to provide affected women with proper treatment and improve their quality of life.