Investigating the Factors Affecting the Severity of Neuropathic Pain Before and After the Coronavirus Infection in Patients Having Breast Cancer Surgery

Approximately one-third of women having breast surgery experience neuropathic pain although no study has so far identified its risk factors. It seems that the coronavirus infection increases the likelihood of neuropathic pain through influencing the neuropsychological system. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate factors affecting the severity of neuropathic pain before and after coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) in patients who had breast cancer surgery.

The current descriptive-analytical study was conducted six months before June 4, 2020. In total, 40 women having breast surgery participated in this study. Postoperative neuropathic pain and its influencing factors were evaluated using demographic tools, Spielberger anxiety, and a 36-item short-form health survey for measuring the quality of life (QoL). Finally, data were analyzed by multivariate regression.

Neuropathic pain significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mastectomy (P=0.009), removal of lymph nodes (P=0.011), number of radiotherapy sessions (P=0.003), history of chemotherapy (P=0.009), disease stage (P=0.015), hidden anxiety (P=0.005), and explicit anxiety (P=0.001), and all domains of QoL (P<0.05) significantly predicted neuropathic pain.

In general, adverse effects of coronavirus pandemic reduced the QoL while increasing anxiety (hidden and explicit), thus leading to an increase in the severity of postoperative neuropathic pain.