Abstract
Introduction: Pain is one of the complaints from breast cancer patients who received chemotherapy. One of the side effects of chemotherapy on breast cancer patients is neuronal damage resulting in neuropathic pain. The increased incidence of neuropathic pain in chemotherapy patients often results in impaired activity. This study was conducted to determine the correlation between neuropathic pain and impaired daily activity before the first injection and after the third injection in breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.
Methods: This was an observational analytic study with a prospective cohort design. The subjects were postoperative breast cancer patients who received chemotherapy at the Kasuari Ward, Dr Kariadi Hospital, Semarang, who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria. It was conducted from September 2019 to February 2020. Examination of neuropathic pain and pain scoring was assessed using the LANSS questionnaire and Brief Pain Inventory (BPI). Data were analyzed using Spearman's bivariate correlation test. The results were significant if the p-value <0.05.
Results: 23 breast cancer patients who received chemotherapy at the Kasuari Ward, Dr Kariadi Hospital, Semarang participated in this study. The incidence of neuropathic pain increased after the third injection of chemotherapy. The correlation between pain score and activity disorder score before the first chemotherapy was significant (p = 0,000; rho = 0.697) and after the third chemotherapy was also significant (p = 0.045; rho = 0.421). In addition, there was a strong correlation between pain score and activity disorder score after the third chemotherapy being controlled with age (p = 0.003; rho = 0.589).
Conclusions: There was an increase in neuropathic pain and activity disorder after the third injection of chemotherapy. There was a correlation between pain scores and activity disorder in breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.

Key words: Breast cancer, neuropathic pain, chemotherapy, activity disorders