Guidelines for Complications of Cancer Treatment Vol VIII Part B

28. Coping, catastrophizing and chronic pain in breastcancer.Bishop SR, Warr D. J Behav Med. 2003 Jun;26(3):265-81.This cross-sectional study investigated the relationshipsbetween individual differences in coping and catastrophizing,and markers of adaptation to chronic pain associated withbreast cancer. Sixty-eight breast cancer patients with chronicpain due to either cancer or cancer-treatment were administeredself-report instruments that assess active and passive coping,catastrophizing, pain, disability, and mood disturbance.Regression analyses were performed to investigate the uniquecontribution of differences in coping and catastrophizing tothe various markers of adaptation. Both active and passivecoping explained unique variance in self-reported disability;active coping was associated with less disability while passivecoping was associated with greater disability. Catastrophizingexplained unique variance in anxiety and depression scores;higher levels of catastrophizing were associated with greateremotional distress. The results suggest that coping andcatastrophizing may contribute to different outcomes in chronicpain in breast cancer patients and provides preliminaryevidence that they may be important targets of psychologicaltreatments.PMID: 12845938 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]29. Venlafaxine in neuropathic pain followingtreatment of breast cancer.Tasmuth T, Härtel B, Kalso E. Eur J Pain. 2002;6(1):17-24.Amitriptyline effectively relieves neuropathic pain followingtreatment of breast cancer. However, adverse effects are amajor problem. Venlafaxine has no anticholinergic effects andcould have a better compliance. The aim of the study was toevaluate the effectiveness of venlafaxine in neuropathic pain.36