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Pain map** and characteristics in breast cancer survivors during task-oriented training: analysis at 3, 6, and 9 months

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Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate the frequency and characteristics of trunk and upper limb pain in women diagnosed with breast cancer, in different movement planes, during task-oriented training (TOT) 3, 6, and 9 months after surgery.

Methods

A prospective cohort study with 20 women. The body pain diagram (BPD), VAS, and McGill questionnaire were used. The TOT consisted of 20 exercises based on the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire (DASH) questionnaire. BPD overlay was performed in GIMP® image editor. The chi-square test was applied to the relationship between population characteristics and pain. Freedman's ANOVA and the Cochran's Q test were used in the comparison of pain site frequencies and intensity over time.

Results

In total, 297 BPDs were generated, which identified the affected upper limb as the body area with the highest frequency of pain at the three moments. However, at 9 months, the unaffected upper limb presented the same frequency as the affected limb. Radiotherapy presented a statistically significant relationship (p < 0.05) with pain at 9 months. The pain was characterized as moderate at the three moments, affective at 3 and 6 months, and sensory at 9 months.

Conclusion

The most frequent area of pain at 3 and 6 months was the affected upper limb however, at 9 months, the unaffected upper limb presented the same frequency of pain as the affected upper limb. Pain was characterized as moderate at the three evaluation moments.

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Fig. 1

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Data Availability

If necessary, the data will be made available by the author.

Code availability

Not applicable.

Abbreviations

TOT:

Task oriented training

BPD:

Body pain diagram

VAS:

Visual analogue scale

DASH:

Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Foundation for Scientific and Technological Research of the State of Santa Catarina (grant FAPESC 2019TR7602)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Health and Sports Science Center - CEFID, Universidade Do Estado de Santa Catarina - UDESC, Rua Pascoal Simone, 358 - Coqueiros, Florianópolis, SC, 88080-350, Brazil

    Bruna Baungarten Hugen Back, Mariana dos Santos Hermes, Natália de Souza Cunha & Fabiana Flores Sperandio

  2. Universidade Do Sul de Santa Catarina - UNISUL, Avenida Pedra Branca, 25 - Pedra Branca, 88137-270, Palhoça, SC, Brasil

    Kamilla Zomkowski

  3. National Cancer Institute - INCA, Praça Cruz Vermelha, 23, Centro, 20230-130, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil

    Anke Bergmann

Authors
  1. Bruna Baungarten Hugen Back
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  4. Natália de Souza Cunha
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Natália de Souza Cunha.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethics approval

This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval was granted by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the State University of Santa Catarina (UDESC), registration 2.835.766. The co-participating institutions also gave their approval under the registration numbers: 2.650.148 and 2.814.975.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Baungarten Hugen Back, B., Zomkowski, K., dos Santos Hermes, M. et al. Pain map** and characteristics in breast cancer survivors during task-oriented training: analysis at 3, 6, and 9 months. Support Care Cancer 29, 4319–4327 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-020-05899-8

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