ABSTRACT
Objective To study the epidemiological characteristics of chronic pain following breast cancer surgery and analyze the related factors.Methods Nine hundred and twelve patients following breast cancer surgery were enrolled in the Department of Breast Surgery,Affiliated Hospital,Academy of Military Medical Sciences.The Douleur Neuropathique-4 (DN-4) questionnaire was used to identify neuropathic pain,and the related factors were statistically analyzed.Results The follow-up was completed in 821 patients,including 263 (32％) patients with chronic pain.DN-4 score of 47 (17.9％)patients was over 4 points.There was significant difference between the painful group and the non-painful group in methods of surgery and axillary lymph node dissection (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Findings suggest that chronic pain after breast cancer surgery is a significant problem clinically.Proper surgery and psychological buildup are of clinical value in preventing post-surgery chronic pain.