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With the object of investigating the occurrence of pain and dysaesthesiae in the scar following mastectomy, 120 were interviewed by a standard questionnaire in a prospective study. These women had commenced postoperative control or treatment in the Department of Oncology in the University Hospital of Aarhus consecutively during a one-year period. One hundred and ten of these women were interviewed again one year later. In 92% of the patients with scar pain and dysaesthesiae, these appeared within the first three months postoperatively. At the first interview, 42 patients (35%) had scar pain and 15 of these (13%) experienced constant scar pain. One year later, 25 patients (23%) still had scar pain and 13 patients (12%) had experienced persistent scar pain throughout the entire year. Two of the patients (8%) with scar pain had constant pain while, at the second interview, 14 patients (56%) reported that the scar pain lasted for seconds. Twenty-seven patients (23%) had dysaesthesiae at the first interview while 29 patients experienced these continually one year after operation. Both the intensity and the duration of the scar pain diminished with the elapse of time. This held also true where dysaesthesiae were concerned but was not so marked.

Phantom breast syndrome (PBS) following mastectomy has already been reported by other authors. The temporal course, character and extent of these phenomena, however, have not yet been elucidated. In a prospective study, we investigated the incidence, clinical picture and the temporal course of PBS. One hundred and twenty women who, during a 1 year period, embarked consecutively on post-operative control or treatment at the department, were interviewed by a standard questionnaire 3 weeks after the operation. One year later 110 patients were interviewed again. The median age at the first interview was 54 years (Q1 = 45 years; Q3 = 62 years). The incidence of PBS was 25.8% at the first interview and 24.5% at the second. The incidence of phantom pain and non-painful phantom sensations was 13.3% and 15.0%, respectively, 3 weeks after mastectomy and 12.7% and 11.8%, respectively after 1 year. We found significant relationships between pre-operative pain and PBS, but no significant relation between age and the occurrence of PBS. Neither post-operative sequelae nor cancer treatment including radiotherapy seemed to affect the occurrence of PBS. Exteroceptive-like pain emerged as the most predominant type of pain from both interviews. At the time of the first interview, 35.0% of the patients experienced cicatrix pain which was clearly distinguishable from phantom pain; after 1 year, 22.7% of the patients had persistent cicatrix pain. The present incidence of PBS is close to the incidence reported by others. Persistent phantom pain may, however, be more common than usually expected. Also persistence of cicatrix pain seems to be more common than generally expected.