Background: Reducing side effects of cancer treatments is a major challenge for clinicians involved in the management of breast cancer patients.
Methods: We analyzed data from 63 patients (32 in the general anesthesia group and 31 in the hypnosis sedation group) who were included in 1 prospective non-randomized trial evaluating hypnosis sedation in breast cancer treatment. The patients were followed every 3 months for 2 years. All patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy with 4 cycles of epirubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by taxanes. Thereafter, patients underwent surgery while on general anesthesia or while on hypnosis sedation. Radiotherapy was administered according to institutional guidelines. Endocrine therapy was prescribed if tumors expressed hormone receptors. Prevalence, intensity and duration of polyneuropathy, musculoskeletal pain, postoperative pain and cancer-related fatigue were assessed at each medical visit.
Results: Symptoms duration was statistically reduced for polyneuropathy (p < 0.05), musculoskeletal pain (p < 0.05) postoperative pain and cancer-related fatigue (p < 0.05) in the hypnosis group.
Conclusion: Despite the limitations of this study (lack of randomization and small size) we conclude that hypnosis sedation may exert a role on different side effects of breast cancer treatment in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy, mainly by reducing their duration.
Keywords: cancer-related fatigue; hypnosis sedation; musculoskeletal pain; neoadjuvant chemotherapy; polyneuropathy; postoperative pain.