Pharmacological and therapeutic treatment of total pain in patients with metastatic breast cancer: narrative review on the importance of interdisciplinary intervention

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Considering the great impact suffered by women with metastatic breast cancer, manifested in physical and/or psychological symptoms, this study seeks to understand the impact of total pain on these patients and to emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary intervention in this context, as well as to list treatment alternatives for better pain management and consequent improvement in quality of life. CONTENTS: A narrative literature review was carried out in Scielo, Pubmed and Google Scholar databases, based on the descriptors “Pain”, “Breast Neoplasms”, “Palliative Care”, “Interdisciplinary Placements”, “Medication Systems” and “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy”, as well as their respective terms in Portuguese, in articles published from 2012 to 2022. 130 publications were found, of which, after applying the criteria, 34 were included in this review. The results obtained point to the impact of total pain on cancer patients, which has repercussions in terms of poorly controlled symptoms of fatigue, dyspnea, poor diet, poor sleep quality, anxiety, and possible depressive episodes. In this context, interdisciplinary and palliative care emerge as central to the treatment of these patients, since they are based on communication, joint decision-making and comprehensiveness. In addition, different techniques were observed, both pharmacological and psychotherapeutic, such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, which can help relieve pain and other symptoms, improving quality of life. CONCLUSION: However, there are still limitations to the inclusion of interdisciplinary teams in clinical practice, due to communication failures, individual conduct and hierarchization, as well as other aspects.