Chest Tightness and Pain From Breast Cancer Treatment
Chest pain can be a sharp stab or a dull ache. A number of issues can cause chest pain, including serious heart and lung problems and breast cancer treatment.
Causes of chest pain
Pain in the chest area is common after breast cancer surgery and during the healing process. During mastectomy or lumpectomy surgery, nerves are bruised, stretched, or cut. So you may feel a mixture of pain and numbness in the area where you had surgery.
Because nerves get irritated or damaged, you also may feel shooting pains and tightness in your chest right after mastectomy or lumpectomy. Your surgeon is likely to give you a prescription pain medicine to manage this type of chest tightness and pain during the healing process.
If you have breast reconstruction with a tissue expander and an implant, you may have chest pain as the tissue stretches to accommodate the implant.
During and after radiation therapy, you also may have pain in your chest — again, because the nerves get irritated.
Treatments for chest pain
Strategies that can help ease chest pain include:
special exercises and stretching for people who’ve had breast surgery
hot and cold packs
Your doctor also may recommend over-the-counter or prescription medicines to help ease chest pain.
— Last updated on September 27, 2023 at 6:39 PM