Empowering beyond Pain: Pain Neuroscience Education Interventions in Breast Cancer Survivorship Care

Abstract

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.