Department of Adult Health and Nursing Systems, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing, Richmond, VA 23298, USA.
Biol Res Nurs. 2013 Apr;15(2):234-41. doi: 10.1177/1099800411425857. Epub 2011 Nov 14.
Pain is a commonly experienced and distressing symptom in women with breast cancer (BCA), and recent evidence suggests that immune activation may be associated with pain and other co-occurring symptoms. However, no studies to date have explored the relationships among perceived pain and biomarkers of inflammation in women with early-stage BCA during the initial course of treatment.
The purpose of this research study was to examine the relationships among pro- and anti-inflammatory biomarkers and the presence of pain and other symptoms (anxiety, depression, fatigue, and sleep disorder) prior to induction of chemotherapy.
This was a secondary analysis of data that measured perceived symptoms, including the presence of pain and pain interference, and plasma levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and C-reactive protein (CRP) in women with early-stage BCA (N = 32) at 1 month postsurgery but prior to induction of chemotherapy.
Women experiencing pain had significantly higher levels of CRP (p < .01), interleukin (IL) 13 (p < .02), and IL-7 (p < .02) and more pain interference (p < .01), depression (p < .01), and sleep disturbance (p < .01) compared to women reporting no pain.
The presence of pain during the initial course of treatment in women with early-stage BCA was associated with significantly higher levels of CRP, IL-7, and IL-13, suggesting a potential role of immune activation in perceived pain. Further research to examine the precise effects of these biological factors in modulating pain is needed. Perceived pain was also associated with multiple co-occurring symptoms, and this finding has important implications for symptom management.
疼痛是乳腺癌(BCA)女性中常见的令人痛苦的症状,最近的证据表明免疫激活可能与疼痛和其他同时发生的症状有关。然而,迄今为止,尚无研究探讨在初始治疗过程中早期 BCA 女性的感知疼痛与炎症生物标志物之间的关系。
本研究的目的是在接受化疗诱导之前,研究促炎和抗炎生物标志物与疼痛和其他症状(焦虑、抑郁、疲劳和睡眠障碍)的存在之间的关系。
这是一项对数据的二次分析,该数据测量了包括疼痛和疼痛干扰在内的感知症状,以及早期 BCA 女性(N=32)在手术后 1 个月但在接受化疗诱导之前的血浆中促炎和抗炎细胞因子和 C 反应蛋白(CRP)的水平。
与无疼痛报告的女性相比,经历疼痛的女性 CRP(p<.01)、白细胞介素(IL)13(p<.02)和 IL-7(p<.02)水平显著升高,疼痛干扰(p<.01)、抑郁(p<.01)和睡眠障碍(p<.01)也更多。
在早期 BCA 女性初始治疗过程中出现疼痛与 CRP、IL-7 和 IL-13 的水平显著升高相关,这表明免疫激活可能在感知疼痛中起作用。需要进一步研究以检查这些生物因素在调节疼痛方面的确切作用。感知疼痛也与多种同时发生的症状相关,这一发现对症状管理具有重要意义。