Breast tissue and the areas surrounding the breast contain many small to medium-sized nerves. During surgery on the breast, these nerves can be inadvertently cut or damaged. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy after surgery worsen the injury experienced by these nerves. These nerves eventually become abnormal and provide pain signals to the brain well beyond the healing period after surgery. Patients with these abnormal nerves suffer from chronic pain in the breast area that persists for several years after surgery. Chronic pain is associated with a reduced quality of life, daily functioning, psychological distress, and contributes to excessive health care expenditures. There is encouraging data suggesting that an infusion of Lidocaine during surgery and Pregabalin given around the time of surgery can prevent the development of chronic pain after breast cancer surgery. A large randomized controlled trial is needed to determine the efficacy of these two interventions on reducing chronic pain after breast cancer surgery (e.g. within 3 months of surgery). A pilot trial is first needed to determine the feasibility of undertaking such a trial.
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Feasibility
Timeframe: 6 months