ASO Author Reflections: Persistent Pain After Breast Cancer Treatment, an Underreported Burden for Breast Cancer Survivors

PASTIn the past, many breast cancer survivors who had undergone surgery experienced persistent pain.Unfortunately, the exact pathophysiology of this pain, known as persistent pain after breast cancer treatment (PPBCT), was poorly understood and often not recognized.This lack of recognition hampered preoperative screening, counselling, and management of patients experiencing PPBCT.2][3][4] This inconsistency hindered the development and evaluation of standardized treatment protocols and left many survivors without adequate support or intervention strategies.Furthermore, in the past, clinicians primarily concentrated on immediate postsurgical outcomes, neglecting the longterm management of chronic pain.Contradictory results from previous studies regarding potential risk factors further complicated efforts to understand the etiology and define risk groups, which is crucial to take preventive measures and develop effective treatment strategies for PPBCT.