Nerve pain

Mastectomy, SLNB and ALND can cause nerve pain in the arm or armpit, and mastectomy can cause nerve pain in the chest wall. This may feel like pins and needles, tingling, or stabbing pain. It usually settles within a few weeks. If nerve pain is ongoing, ask your doctor about ways to manage it.

Some chemotherapy drugs can damage nerves in the hands and feet. This is called peripheral neuropathy or chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). It can cause weakness, numbness, pins and needles and, occasionally, burning or shooting pain. These symptoms usually improve over a matter of months, but they can be permanent.

If you have any of these symptoms, tell your health care team. Your doctor will help you manage pain from any permanent nerve damage.

A physiotherapist and occupational therapist can help you improve or manage symptoms, and a psychologist or counsellor can teach you coping strategies to manage any ongoing pain.

For more on this, see Peripheral neuropathy and cancer and listen to the podcast below.

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Podcast: Managing Cancer Pain

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