491P_PR Background pain vs breakthrough pain? Which is the priority of cancer pain treatment

Abstract

Background We evaluated the difference of QOL and demand for treatment between patients with moderate or severe background cancer pain (BCP) and breakthrough cancer pain (BTcP) in Korean patients admitted with cancer pain. Methods In-hospital patients with cancer pain completed a questionnaire concerning severity of BCP, prevalence and treatment for BTcP, sleep disorders, and demand and satisfaction with cancer pain treatment. Results Of the 1,841 patients with cancer pain, 496 (26.9%) complained of high NRS pain, and 736 patients (40%) complained of moderate NRS pain. Of the remaining 609 patients (33.1%), 177 (29.1%) complained of BTcP. Patients with moderate or severe BCP showed significant association with a sleep disorder and dissatisfaction with pain control, compared with those with BTcP (p<0.0001, p<0.0001, respectively). However demand for cancer pain treatment is not significantly different among the three groups (p=0.082). Conclusions Patients with uncontrolled BCP showed association with a lower quality of life than those with BTcP. Physicians should be aware of and control BCP first, even though BTcP also has an negative impact on the QOL. Legal entity responsible for the study Sun Kyung Baek Funding Palliative care committee of the Korean Cancer Study group Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.