Understanding chronic pain after breast cancer surgery

What’s the title of the study?

Exploring illness beliefs of patients experiencing chronic pain after surgery: an interpretive phenomenological analysis.

What’s the project about?

Some pain after surgery is expected. But for some people, pain continues for months or even years. This is called chronic post-surgical pain.

This study looks at how people understand that pain after breast cancer surgery. The researcher is interested in the beliefs people form about their pain. Beliefs such as what they think may have caused it, what the symptoms mean, how long it might last, how much it can be treated, and what impact it has on life.

Understanding these beliefs matters. Research suggests that what people believe about illness can affect how they feel and recover. By learning more about chronic pain after surgery, this study could help build a deeper understanding of how pain affects people after breast cancer treatment.

Who’s organising it?

Name of project lead: Lydia Roper

Job title: PhD student

Organisation: University of Exeter

Email address: lr691@exeter.ac.uk

Who can take part?

• Have had surgery for breast cancer

• Experienced pain for longer than 3 months afterwards

Why do you want me to be involved?

Your experience can help researchers better understand what chronic pain after breast cancer surgery is really like.

By sharing your story, you can help show how pain affects people after surgery, and how that experience sits within the wider context of cancer treatment.

What will you ask me to do?

You’ll be asked to take part in a one-to-one interview about your experience of surgery and the beliefs you have about your pain.

The interview will be a one-off and will last around 1 to 1.5 hours. It can take place:

• By telephone

• Online

• In person, depending on your preference and reasonable travel

As a thank you for your time, you’ll receive £25 for an hour or £50 if the interview lasts over an hour.

How do I get involved?

To find out more or register your interest, contact Lydia Roper via the email provided above.

When’s the deadline?

30 September 2026