References

Ahmed E Antidepressants in Patients With Advanced Cancer: When They’re Warranted and How to Choose Therapy. Oncology (Williston Park).. 2019; 33:(2)

Amr YM, Makharita MY Neurolytic sympathectomy in the management of cancer pain-time effect: a prospective, randomized multicenter study. J Pain Symptom Manage.. 2014; 48:944-956, e942 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2014.01.015

Axelsson B, Stellborn P Analgesic effect of paracetamol on cancer-related pain in concurrent strong opioid therapy. A prospective clinical study. Acta Oncologica,. 2008; 47 https://doi.org/10.1080/02841860701687259

Bar V Gabapentin for the treatment of cancer-related pain syndromes. Rev Recent Clin Trials.. 2010; 5:(3) https://doi.org/10.2174/157488710792007310

Barnett M Alternative opioids to morphine in palliative care: a review of current practice and evidence. Postgrad Med J. 2001; 77 https://doi.org/10.1136/pmj.77.908.371

Basch E, Deal AM, Kris MG Symptom monitoring with patient-reported outcomes during routine cancer treatment: a randomized controlled trial. J Clin Oncol.. 2016; 34 https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2015.63.0830

Bennett MI, Rayment C Prevalence and aetiology of neuropathic pain in cancer patients: a systematic review. Pain.. 2012; 153 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pain.2011.10.028

Breivik H, Cherny N, Collett B Cancer-related pain: a pan-European survey of prevalence, treatment, and patient attitudes. Annals of Oncology.. 2009; 20:(8) https://doi.org/10.1093/annonc/mdp001

Brown MR, Ramirez JD Pain in cancer survivors. Br J Pain.. 2014; 8:(4) https://doi.org/10.1177/2049463714542605

Caraceni A, Hanks G, Kaasa S Use of opioid analgesics in the treatment of cancer pain: evidence-based recommendations from the EAPC. The Lancet Oncology.. 2012; 13:(2)e58-e68 https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(12)70040-2

Cata JP, Weng HR, Lee BN Clinical and experimental findings in humans and animals with chemotherapyinduced peripheral neuropathy. Minerva Anestesiol. 2006; 72:(3)

Chwistek M Recent advances in understanding and managing cancer pain. Version 1. F1000Res.. 2017; 6

Falk S, Bannister K Cancer pain physiology. Br J Pain.. 2014; 8:(4) https://doi.org/10.1177/2049463714545136

Fallon M, Giusti R et al. Management of cancer pain in adult patients: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines. Annals of Oncology. 2018; 29:(S4)iv166-iv191 https://doi.org/10.1093/annonc/mdy152

Fallon MT Neuropathic pain in cancer. British Journal of Anaesthesia.. 2013; 111:(1) https://doi.org/10.1093/bja/aet208

Garber K Why it Hurts: Researchers Seek Mechanisms of Cancer Pain. JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute.. 2003; 95:(11) https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/95.11.770

Gehdoo R.P. Cancer Pain Management. Indian J. Aneasth. 2006; 50:(5)

Goldberg GR, Smith CB How should opioids be started and titrated in routine outpatient settings?. In: Goldstein NE, Morrison RS Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2013 https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21453

Greco MT, Roberto A, Corli O Quality of cancer pain management: an update of a systematic review of undertreatment of patients with cancer. J Clin Oncol.. 2014; 32 https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2014.56.0383

Haumann J, Joosten EBA, Everdingen MHJVDB Pain prevalence in cancer patients: status quo or opportunities for improvement?. Curr Opin Support Palliat Care.. 2017; 11:(2) https://doi.org/10.1097/SPC.0000000000000261

Jacobsen R, Liubarskienë Z Barriers to cancer pain management: A review of empirical research. Medicina. 2009; 45:(6) https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina45060055

Jeal W, Benfield P Transdermal fentanyl. A review of its pharmacological properties and therapeutic efficacy in pain control. Drugs.. 1997; 53:(1) https://doi.org/10.2165/00003495-199753010-00011

Kane CM, Mulvey MR Opioids combined with antidepressants or antiepileptic drugs for cancer pain: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Palliat Med.. 2018; 32:(1) https://doi.org/10.1177/0269216317711826

Koizumi W Efficacy and Tolerability of Cancer Pain Management with Controlled-release Oxycodone Tablets in Opioid-naive Cancer Pain Patients, Starting with 5 mg Tablets. Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology.. 2004; 34:(10) https://doi.org10.1093/jjco/hyh104

Lahoud M, Kourie H Road map for pain management in pancreatic cancer: A review. World J Gastrointest Oncol.. 2016; 8:(8) https://doi.org/10.4251/wjgo.v8.i8.599

McNicol ED, Strassels S, Goudas L, Lau J, Carr DB NSAIDS or paracetamol, alone or combined with opioids, for cancer pain. McNicol ED, ed. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.. 2005; 25:(1) https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.cd005180

Mehta R, Roth A Psychiatric considerations in the oncology setting. CA Cancer J Clin. 2015; 65 https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21285

Menefee L, Monti D Managing Cancer Pain with Nonpharmacologic and Complementary Therapies. The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.. 2007; 107:ES15-ES21

Mercadante S The use of anti-inflammatory drugs in cancer pain. Cancer Treat Rev.. 2001; 27:(1) https://doi.org/10.1053/ctrv.2000.0192

Molassiotis A, Bardy J, Finnegan-John J Acupuncture for cancer-related fatigue in patients with breast cancer: a pragmatic randomized controlled trial. J Clin Oncol. 2012; 30 https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2012.41.6222

Nabal M, Librada S The role of paracetamol and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in addition to WHO Step III opioids in the control of pain in advanced cancer. A systematic review of the literature. Palliat Med.. 2012; 26:(4) https://doi.org/10.1177/0269216311428528

Nadine M, Reem A Cancer-Related Pain: Prevalence, Severity and Management in a Tertiary Care Center in the Middle East. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev.. 2018; 19:(3) https://doi.org/10.22034/APJCP.2018.19.3.769

National Cancer Institute. 2019. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam

Nersesyan H, Slavin KV Current aproach to cancer pain management: Availability and implications of different treatment options. Ther Clin Risk Manag.. 2007; 3:(3)

Barriers to Cancer Pain Management Among Nurses in Kenya: A Focused Ethnography. 10.1016/j.pmn.2019.08.006

Park SB, Goldstein D, Krishnan AV Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neurotoxicity: a critical analysis. CA Cancer J Clin. 2013; 63:(6) https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21204

Phillips JK, Ford MA: National Academies Press (US); 2017

Normal-release oral morphine starting dose in cancer patients with pain. 2009. 10.1097/AJP.0b013e3181929b4f

Rodriguez RF, Bravo LE, Castro Fernando Incidence of weak opioids adverse events in the management of cancer pain: a double-blind comparative trial. J Palliat Med. 2007; 10 https://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2006.0117

Scarborough Bethann M, Cardinale B Smith. Optimal Pain Management for Patients with Cancer in the Modern Era. Ca Cancer J Clin. 2018; 68 https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21453

Schmidt BL, Hamamoto DT, Simone DA, Wilcox GL Mechanism of Cancer Pain. Molecular Interventions.. 2010; 10:(3) https://doi.org/10.1124/mi.10.3.7

Singh P, Chaturvedi A Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Cancer Pain Management: A Systematic Review. Indian J Palliat Care.. 2015; 21:(1) https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-1075.150202

Sittl R, Griessinger N, Likar R Analgesic efficacy and tolerability of transdermal buprenorphine in patients with inadequately controlled chronic pain related to cancer and other disorders: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Clin Ther.. 2003; 25:(1) https://doi.org/10.1016/s0149-2918(03)90019-1

Sloman R Relaxation and the relief of cancer pain. Nurs Clin North Am.. 1995; 30:(4)

Strawson J Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and cancer pain. Curr Opin Support Palliat Care.. 2018; 12:(2) https://doi.org/10.1097/SPC.0000000000000332

Tassinari D, Sartori S Adverse effects of transdermal opiates treating moderate-severe cancer pain in comparison to long-acting morphine: a meta-analysis and systematic review of the literature. J Palliat Med.. 2008; 11:(3) https://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2007.0200

Thorp S.L. Pathophysiology of Cancer Pain. In: Gulati A., Puttanniah V., Bruel B., Rosenberg W., Hung J. Springer: Cham; 2019

Torresan MM, Garrino L Adherence to treatment in patient with severe cancer pain: A qualitative enquiry through illness narratives. Eur J Oncol Nurs.. 2015; 19:(4) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejon.2015.01.001

Van den Beuken-van Everdingen MH, Hochstenbach LM Update on Prevalence of Pain in Patients with Cancer: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Pain Symptom Manage.. 2016; 51:(6) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2015.12.340

Van den Beuken-van Everdingen MH, de Rijke J. M., Kessels A. G. Prevalence of pain in patients with cancer: a systematic review of the past 40 years. Annals of Oncology. 2007; 18 https://doi.org/10.1093/annonc/mdm056

Von Gunten CF Pathophysiology of Pain in Cancer. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2011; 33:S12-S18

Vorobeychik Y, Chen L Improved Opioid Analgesic Effect Following Opioid Dose Reduction. Pain Medicine.. 2008; 9:(6) https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1526-4637.2008.00501.x

Wagland R, Richardson A Prevalence of cancer chemotherapy-related problems, their relation to health-related quality of life and associated supportive care: a cross-sectional survey. Support Care Cancer.. 2016; 24:(12)

Webster LR, Grabois M Current Regulations Related to Opioid Prescribing. PM R.. 2015; 7:(11 Suppl)S236-S247 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmrj.2015.08.011

Weidong Lu, Dean-Clower Elizabeth The Value of Acupuncture in Cancer Care. Hematol Oncol Clin North Am.. 2008; 22:(4) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hoc.2008.04.005

Wong FC, Lee TW Intercostal nerve blockade for cancer pain: effectiveness and selection of patients. Hong Kong Med J.. 2007; 13:(4)

Yajima R, Matsumoto K Pregabalin prescription for terminally ill cancer patients receiving specialist palliative care in an acute hospital. J Pharm Health Care Sci.. 2016; 2 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40780-016-0063-6

Yoon SY, Oh JY Neuropathic cancer pain: prevalence, pathophysiology, and management. Korean J Intern Med.. 2018; 33:(6) https://doi.org/10.3904/kjim.2018.162

Zaza C, Baine N Cancer pain and psychosocial factors: a critical review of the literature. J Pain Symptom Manage.. 2002; 24 https://doi.org/10.1016/s0885-3924(02)00497-9

Oncology

Managing pain in oncology

02 March 2020
Clinical Focus
02 March 2020
Volume 2 · Issue 3

Abstract

Pain is one of the most common symptoms in cancer and almost all patients experience pain at various stages of the disease. Despite the high prevalence of these symptoms and various international guidelines that are in place for management, there is still a gap between the pain management approaches and achieving satisfactory pain relief. A holistic approach is required for effective management, which not only includes the pain-relieving medications but should also contain various complementary procedures to treat cancer pain and improve patients' quality of life.

Cancer diagnosis and progression significantly reduces quality of life, emotionally, mentally and physically. Patients are often burdened by the severe side effects of toxic chemotherapy that impair patient quality of life (Wagland et al, 2016). Of the various symptoms related to cancer and its treatment, pain is one of the most underrated and undertreated (Torresan et al, 2015).

Effective management of pain in oncology enhances quality of life, improves adherence to treatment, and reduces the utilisation of healthcare facilities (Basch et al, 2016). There has been an improvement in the quality of pharmacological pain management, however, medication proportional to pain intensity is still not received by approximately one-third of patients (Greco et al, 2014).

The severity of pain varies with the stage of the disease and the type of cancer. Squamous cell carcinoma of the lung rarely presents with pain, whereas squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity almost always present with pain as the initial symptom (Schmidt et al, 2010). Despite years of research and technological advancement in understanding, detection and treatment, the progress related to cancer pain is slow and inadequate (Chwistek, 2017).

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Journal of Prescribing Practice and reading some of our peer-reviewed resources for prescribing professionals. To read more, please register today. You’ll enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included

  • Limited access to our clinical or professional articles

  • New content and clinical newsletter updates each month

Register
Or continue by

Signing in with your registered email address

Oncology
pain management
oncology pain
symptom relief
pain relief
holistic care