Optimizing the use of ketamine to reduce chronic postsurgical pain in women undergoing mastectomy for oncologic indication: study protocol for the KALPAS multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Background: Mastectomies are commonly performed and strongly associated with chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP), more specifically termed postmastectomy pain syndrome (PMPS), with 25-60% of patients reporting pain 3 months after surgery. PMPS interferes with function, recovery, and compliance with adjuvant therapy. Importantly, it is associated with chronic opioid use, as a recent study showed that 1 in 10 patients continue to use opioids at least 3 months after curative surgery.

Pain associated with breast cancer: etiologies and therapies.

Pain associated with breast cancer is a prevalent problem that negatively affects quality of life. Breast cancer pain is not limited to the disease course itself but is also induced by current therapeutic strategies. This, combined with the increasing number of patients living with breast cancer, make pain management for breast cancer patients an increasingly important area of research.