Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38796817›Full record

Trial reportBreast cancer (Tokyo, Japan)2024

Assessing the effectiveness of high frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for post-mastectomy pain in breast cancer patients: A randomized controlled trial.

Monika Kataria, Nishkarsh Gupta, Aasheesh Kumar, Sandeep Bhoriwal, Akanksha Singh, Varun Shekhar, Renu Bhatia

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Breast cancer (Tokyo, Japan), 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Cancer pain.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2026
    Review
  2. Review
  3. Article
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  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Monika KatariaDepartment of Physiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, 110029, India.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0008-2530-3442
Nishkarsh GuptaDepartment of Onco-Anesthesiology and Palliative Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, 110029, India.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8444-2564
Aasheesh KumarDepartment of Physiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, 110029, India.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2334-5872
Sandeep BhoriwalDepartment of Surgical Oncology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, 110029, India.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9184-4254
Akanksha SinghDepartment of Physiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, 110029, India.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8580-2330
Varun ShekharDepartment of Onco-Anesthesiology and Palliative Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, 110029, India.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5771-5459
Renu BhatiaDepartment of Physiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, 110029, India. renuaiims28@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3022-5281

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPost-mastectomy pain Syndrome (PMPS), characterized by chronic neuropathic pain stemming from intercostobrachial nerve lesions, presents a formidable clinical challenge. With the incidence of breast cancer surging, effective interventions for PMPS are urgently needed. To address this, we conducted this double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial to study the efficacy of repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) therapy over the motor cortex on pain, quality of life and thermal sensitivity in PMPS patients.

methodsWe delivered 15 rTMS sessions over three weeks in a cohort of 34 PMPS patients. These patients were allocated randomly to either rTMS therapy or sham therapy groups. Pain assessments, utilizing the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), alongside quality-of-life evaluations through the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B), were recorded before and after the 15 sessions. Additionally, we assessed thermal sensitivity using Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST).

resultsOur findings demonstrate the superior efficacy of rTMS therapy (over sham therapy) in reducing VAS and SF-MPQ scores (p < 0.0001), improving physical (p = 0.037), emotional (p = 0.033), and functional well-being (p = 0.020) components of quality of life, as quantified by FACT-B. Our investigation also unveiled marked enhancements in thermal sensitivity within the rTMS therapy group, with statistically significant improvements in cold detection threshold (p = 0.0001), warm detection threshold (p = 0.0033), cold pain threshold (p = 0.0078), and hot pain tolerance threshold (p = 0.0078).

conclusionThe study underscores the profound positive impact of rTMS therapy on pain, quality of life, and thermal sensitivity in patients having PMPS, opening new avenues for pain management strategies.

Indexed as

Breast NeoplasmsMastectomyPain MeasurementPostoperative PainQuality of LifeTranscranial Magnetic StimulationAdultAgedDouble-Blind MethodFemaleHumansMiddle AgedNeuralgiaTreatment OutcomeBreast cancerChronic neuropathic painNeurosciencePost-mastectomy pain syndromeRepetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation

Identifiers

PMID38796817

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.