Sleep disturbances and non-cyclical breast pain: where to break the vicious cycle?

PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess the sleep quality of patients with the complaint of non-cyclical breast pain (NCBP), compare them to a healthy control group, and analyze the interrelationship of sleep quality with pain, anxiety, depression, and quality of life. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in consecutive women presenting to the general surgery clinic between May 2020 and December 2020. Patients diagnosed with NCBP formed one group for study and 44 receiving routine well-woman care formed the control group. Evaluations were undertaken using the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP), short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). RESULTS: Of 160 consecutive patients, 116 were diagnosed with NCBP and 44 controls. Poor sleep quality (PSQI > 5) was present in 59% (n = 69) of the women with NCBP and 38% (n = 17) of the controls (p = 0.018). According to PSQI global score, overall sleep quality was significantly lower in the NCBP group compared to the control group (p < 0.007). Sleep latency, sleep duration, and daytime dysfunction were the major components determining the PSQI global score (p = 0.004, p = 0.004, and p < 0.001, respectively). The correlation matrix revealed a statistically significant correlation between the HAD-A, HAD-D, and SF-MSQ and NHP subgroups and PSQI global score in the NCBP group (p < 0.001) whereas this significant correlation was detected with only the NHP subgroups among the controls. CONCLUSIONS: A considerable proportion of NCBP patients, regardless of sensory or affective characteristics and trajectory of pain, experience significant sleep disturbances. Further studies should be conducted to evaluate the existence of central sensitization syndrome in NCBP patients to determine the required pharmacological treatment.

Cyclic and non-cyclic breast-pain: A systematic review on pain reduction, side effects, and quality of life for various treatments.

CYCLIC AND NON-CYCLIC BREAST-PAIN: A systematic review on pain reduction, side effects, and quality of life for various treatments. BACKGROUND: No clear systematic-review on all the various treatment regimen for (Non-) cyclical-breast-pain currently exists. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the various forms of therapy for treatment of breast-pain and the evidence for their effectiveness. SEARCH STRATEGY: Search-terms included 'mastalgia' and 'therapy' or 'hormones' or 'nsaid' or 'psychotherapy' or 'analgesia' or 'surgery', and synonyms. SELECTION CRITERIA: The review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic-reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. RCT's and pro-/retrospective studies reporting on treatment of breast-pain were considered eligible. Minimal follow-up and sample-size criteria were 6 months and 10 patients respectively. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Data was extracted using standardized tables and encompassed number of subjects, type of breast-pain and treatment, efficacy of treatment and clinical complications/side-effects. No pooling of data could be achieved due to heterogeneity amongst studies. MAIN RESULTS: Twenty-three studies were included, that reported on 2100 patients in total. Topical-Diclofenac was found to reduce pain by 58.7 and 63.3 on a Visual-Analogue-Scale (VAS) in cyclical and non-cyclical-breast-pain respectively. Persistent cyclical-breast-pain can be treated with short courses (2-6 months) of either Bromocryptine (VAS↓=25.4) or Danazol (VAS↓=33.6) as long as benefits outweigh the side-effects. Last-resort options for unresponsive and severe debilitating breast-pain include surgery in the form of bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction. CONCLUSIONS: Pain reduction in patients with breast-pain can be achieved with analgesics, hormonal-regimen and possibly surgery as a last resort. Additional studies are needed with well-described patient-characteristics, robust study set-up, and longer follow-up times.

Comparação entre óleo de borragem e óleo de girassol quanto à eficácia no tratamento de mulheres com mastalgia cíclica / Comparison of borage oil and sunflower oil according to the efficacy for the treatment of women with cyclical mastalgia

A mastalgia cíclica constitui freqüente e exagerado processo fisiológico, recorrente na fase lútea do ciclo menstrual. Quando intensa, passa a comprometer a qualidade de vida da mulher, por interferir em suas atividades cotidianas. Com o objetivo de determinar, comparativamente, a efetividade e os possíveis efeitos dos óleos de borragem e de girassol, no tratamento da mastalgia cíclica moderada à intensa, foi realizado um estudo aleatório, duplo cego, tipo ensaio clínico, no período de fevereiro de 2001 a dezembro de 2002, envolvendo 111 mulheres. Mensalmente, a intensidade de dor mamária foi avaliada por escala visual analógica (EVA). As participantes foram subdivididas em dois grupos, segundo medicamento administrado, a saber, 56 em uso de cápsulas de óleo de borragem e 55 de óleo de girassol, ambos na dose de 1 cápsula ao dia, durante três meses. Ao final do tratamento, a evolução das intensidades de dor de cada paciente foi avaliada pelo Cardiff Breast Score, para determinação da responsividade terapêutica. A taxa de resposta terapêutica foi 71,4% e 76,4%, respectivamente para o óleo de borragem e de girassol, não havendo diferença, estatisticamente significativa, entre os medicamentos. A cefaléia, o estresse percebido e o edema mamário reduziram-se em ambos os grupos. Três mulheres do grupo do óleo de girassol apresentaram sangramento vaginal profuso. Concluiu-se que ambos os medicamentos foram eficazes no tratamento da mastalgia cíclica moderada à intensa. São necessários estudos adicionais para determinar a relação custo/benefício do óleo de girassol.

Cyclical mastalgia is a frequent condition and represents an exacerbation of the physiological process, recurring in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. When it is intense, it impairs a woman's quality of life, because if interferes on her daily activities. In order to make a comparative evaluation of the effectiveness and adverse effects of borage and sunflower oils in the treatment of moderate to severe cyclical mastalgia, a double-blind randomized study of clinical trial type was carried out between February 2001 and December 2002 involving 111 women. The intensity of breast pain was assessed on a monthly basis by means of the analogic visual scale. The participants were subdivided as follows into two groups according to the drug administered: 56 were given borage oil tablets and 55 sunflower oil, 1 tablet per day for both groups over a period of three months. At the end of the treatment, the evolution in the intensity of the pain of each patient was compared with the Cardiff Breast Score for an assessment of the responsiveness to treatment. The responsiveness rates were 71.4% and 76.4%, respectively for the borage and sunflower oil groups, no statistically significant differences being found. Although headache, perceived stress and mammary edema had reduzed in both groups; uterine bleeding occurred in three patients, as a serious side effect of sunflower oil. Further studies, however, are needed to determine the cost-benefit ratio of sunflower oil.