• Karen A Robb, Di J Newham, and John E Williams.
• Division of Applied Biomedical Sciences Research, School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, King's College London, United Kingdom. karen.robb@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk.
• J Pain Symptom Manage. 2007 Apr 1;33(4):410-9.

AbstractChronic pain associated with breast cancer treatment is becoming increasingly recognized. Patients with this condition can experience significant physical and psychological morbidity and may benefit from nonpharmacological interventions as part of a multidisciplinary team approach. We compared the effectiveness of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), transcutaneous spinal electroanalgesia (TSE), and a placebo (sham TSE) in a randomized controlled trial. The study sample comprised 41 women with chronic pain following breast cancer treatment, and outcome measures included pain report, pain relief, pain interference, anxiety and depression, arm mobility, and analgesic consumption. There was little evidence to suggest that TENS or TSE were more effective than placebo. All three interventions had beneficial effects on both pain report and quality of life, a finding that may be due to either psychophysical improvements resulting from the personal interaction involved in the treatment or a placebo response. Although electrical stimulation appears to be well tolerated in this population, further research is needed to establish its effectiveness for chronic cancer treatment-related pain.

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