The hidden toll after mastectomy: chronic pain that lingers for years

A CNN/KFF Health News report highlights post-mastectomy pain syndrome (PMPS), a poorly defined and undertreated condition where many survivors experience chronic chest, shoulder, or armpit pain months to years after mastectomy and reconstruction. Patients describe pain severe enough to disrupt work and daily life, while doctors often dismiss symptoms and there is no FDA-approved cure. Treatments exist (e.g., nerve targeting, gabapentin) but results vary and evidence is limited. Legislation like the Advancing Women’s Health Coverage Act aims to improve coverage for chronic post-treatment complications and spur more PMPS research, signaling a need to address long-term suffering beyond cancer survival.