Cancer Pain Intensity Research Articles

Impact of pain on functional status and quality of life in Jordanian women with breast cancer.

Currently, breast cancer is the most prevalent type of cancer affecting women, and the number of newly diagnosed cases continues to increase both in Jordan and globally. Upon receiving a cancer diagnosis, the suffering experienced by patients intensifies as they grapple with the debilitating side effects that hinder their ability to carry out routine activities. This study aims to assess the impact of cancer pain on functional status and quality of life (QOL) among Jordanian women with breast cancer. A descriptive cross-sectional design and structured interviews were conducted in the Oncology Unit at Al-Bashir Hospital with a sample of 150 eligible Jordanian women with breast cancer who provided data on pain and functional status, and QOL using four Arabic questionnaires (brief pain inventory, functional status SF-12 questionnaire, and quality of life index) to measure pain and functional status and QOL, descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and regression statistical test were utilized to analyze the study data. A Significant positive correlation (r = 0.342) was found between cancer pain and functional status interference, a significant negative correlation (r = -0.134) between quality of life and functional status interference, and a significant negative correlation (r = -0.211) between pain and quality of life. Patients with higher intensity of cancer pain are more likely to experience low functional status and poor QOL. Breast cancer patients experience alterations in their quality of life as a result of cancer-related pain, which has a detrimental impact on their ability to carry out daily activities and disrupts their functional abilities. Healthcare providers must take these alterations into account and effectively handle them. Understanding the relationship between cancer pain and breast cancer can aid nurses in managing symptoms and providing holistic care, ultimately improving the quality of life.

Application and accuracy of the EAPC/IASP diagnostic algorithm for neuropathic cancer pain and quantitative sensory testing profile in patients with pain due to cancer.

Better diagnosis and treatment of neuropathic cancer pain (NcP) remains an unmet clinical need. The EAPC/IASP algorithm was specifically designed for NcP diagnosis; yet, to date, there is no information on its application and accuracy. Our aim was to determine the accuracy of the EAPC/IASP algorithm compared with the Neuropathic Special Interest Group grading system (gold standard) and to describe patients' sensory profile with quantitative sensory testing (QST). This is a cross-sectional observational study conducted in a palliative care and pain outpatient clinic. Patients with cancer pain intensity ≥3 (numerical rating scale 0-10) were eligible. The palliative care physician applied the EAPC/IASP algorithm as a grading system to diagnose probable or definite NcP, and an independent investigator applied the gold standard and performed the QST. Sensitivity and specificity of the EAPC/IASP algorithm were measured in comparison with the gold standard results. Kruskal-Wallis and unequal variance independent-samples t tests were used to compare the QST parameters in patients with and without NcP. Ninety-eight patients were enrolled from August 2020 to March 2023. Sensitivity and specificity for the EAPC/IASP algorithm were 85% (95% CI 70.2-94.3) and 98.3% (95% CI 90.8-100), respectively. Patients with NcP in contrast to patients without NcP showed cold hypoesthesia (P = 0.0032), warm hypoesthesia (P = 0.0018), pressure hyperalgesia (P = 0.02), and the presence of allodynia (P = 0.0001). The results indicate a good performance of the EAPC/IASP algorithm in diagnosing NcP and the QST discriminated well between patients with and without NcP.

Application of Roy Adaptation Model: Using Artificial Intelligence-driven Immersive Virtual Reality As a Novel Technology for Cancer Pain Management among Patients with Advanced Breast Cancer

Background: Patients with advanced breast cancer often experience severe physical and psychological symptoms, including pain. Poor pain management is still prevalent despite the widespread availability of opioids as well as guidelines from the World Health Organization, professional training, and the availability of pain management alternatives. Consequently, researchers and healthcare practitioners have directed their efforts towards non-pharmacological approaches, such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality. Recently, AI technology has been used to develop advanced virtual reality systems that adapt and respond to human behavior in a highly intelligent and interactive manner. Purpose: This study aimed to structure a conceptual framework guided by the Roy Adaptation Model (RAM) for implementing AI-driven immersive VR in managing pain among patients with advanced breast cancer. Methods: A conceptual study framework was structured to use artificial intelligence-driven immersive virtual reality as a novel technology for pain management among patients with advanced breast cancer guided by the (RAM). Results: According to the proposed conceptual framework, it has been determined that healthcare providers can use the structured conceptual framework guided by the Roy Adaptation Model to adapt a nursing-based intervention, such as AI-driven Immersive VR for pain management among patients with advanced breast cancer. Adopting this intervention will help patients achieve a state of adaptation by addressing various modes of adaptation to manage pain, including physiological-physical mode, self-concept mode, role function mode, and independence mode. Conclusion: Roy Adaptation Model (RAM) is a highly valuable conceptual framework that plays a crucial role in guiding the use of artificial intelligence-driven immersive virtual reality as a novel technology for pain management among patients with advanced breast cancer. Implications for Nursing: By utilizing RAM, nurses can enhance their abilities to facilitate effective innovative nursing interventions such as artificial intelligence-driven immersive virtual reality for cancer pain management and to identify all of the related stimuli that directly lead to an increase in the intensity of cancer pain and have a significant influence on the effectiveness of the nursing intervention. Keywords: Breast cancer, Chronic cancer pain, Roy adaptation model, Artificial intelligence-driven immersive virtual reality

The lesion site in malignant psoas syndrome influences the cancer pain intensity.

Malignant psoas syndrome (MPS) is characterized by pain and hip flexion fixation due to tumor infiltration of the iliopsoas muscle. However, the dose of opioid required to control pain varies markedly among MPS patients. As the ability to predict whether an MPS patient will need a higher opioid dose in the early period of pain control is clinically meaningful, we retrospectively evaluated the relationship between lesion site in MPS and the opioid dose required for pain control. Fourteen patients received opioid control of cancer pain due to MPS between January 2014 and December 2018. Two patients with paraplegia who died during pain control were excluded from this study. The remaining 12 patients were divided into group of muscle attachment (group MA) (n=6), with the lesion in the iliopsoas MA to the spine, and group of muscle belly (group MB) (n=6), with the lesion in the iliopsoas MB. We compared opioid doses for pain control between groups. No significant differences in background characteristics were seen between groups. Opioid dose (in oral morphine equivalents) was significantly higher in group MB (1,374.3±504.5 mg/day) than in group MA (92±67.9 mg/day; P=0.0007). MPS patients with the lesion in the MB appear to need a higher opioid dose for pain control than patients with the lesion in the MA.

Breakthrough and Episodic Cancer Pain from a Palliative Care Perspective.

Cancer pain intensity (PI) fluctuates, but the relationship between pain flares and background pain with respect to pain management is not settled. We studied how flare and background PIs corresponded with treatment results for background cancer pain. Patients admitted to an acute palliative care unit with average and/or worst PI ≥ 1 on the 11-point numeric rating scale were included. Average and worst PI at admission and average PI at discharge were collected. We examined how the difference and ratio between worst and average PI and average PI at admission, were associated with average PI development during hospitalization. Positive differences between worst and average PI at admission were defined as pain flares. Ninety out of 131 patients had pain flares. The reduction in average PI for patients with flares was 0.9 and for those without, 1.9 (p = 0.02). Patients with large worst minus average PI differences reported the least improvement, as did those with large worst/average PI ratios. Patients with pain flares and average PI ≤ 4 at admission had unchanged average PI during hospitalization, while those with pain flares and average PI > 4 experienced pain reduction (2.1, p < 0.001). Large pain flares, in absolute values and compared to background PI, were associated with inferior pain relief.

Genetic Polymorphisms of ENPP2 Are Possibly Associated with Pain Severity and Opioid Dose Requirements in Patients with Inflammatory Pain Conditions: Clinical Observation Study.

Autotaxin, encoded by the ENPP2 gene, is a known key element of neuropathic pain; however, its involvement in nociceptive pain processing remains unclear. We explored the associations between postoperative pain intensity, 24-h postoperative opioid dose requirements, and 93 ENNP2-gene single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 362 healthy patients who underwent cosmetic surgery using the dominant, recessive, and genotypic models. Next, we validated the associations between relevant SNPs on the one hand and pain intensity and daily opioid dosages on the other in 89 patients with cancer-related pain. In this validation study, a Bonferroni correction for multiplicity was applied on all relevant SNPs of the ENPP2 gene and their respective models. In the exploratory study, three models of two SNPs (rs7832704 and rs2249015) were significantly associated with postoperative opioid doses, although the postoperative pain intensity was comparable. In the validation study, the three models of the two SNPs were also significantly associated with cancer pain intensity (p < 0.017). Patients with a minor allele homozygosity complained of more severe pain compared with patients with other genotypes when using comparable daily opioid doses. Our findings might suggest that autotaxin is associated with nociceptive pain processing and the regulation of opioid requirements.

Social Disparities of Pain and Pain Intensity Among Women Diagnosed With Early Stage Breast Cancer.

BackgroundBreast cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers among women in the United States and pain is the most common side effect of breast cancer and its treatment. Yet, the relationships between social determinants of pain and pain experience/intensity remain under-investigated. We examined the associations between social determinants of pain both at the individual level and the neighborhood level to understand how social conditions are associated with pain perception among early stage breast cancer patients.MethodsWe conducted integrated statistical analysis of 1,191 women with early stage breast cancer treated at a large cancer center in Memphis, Tennessee. Combining electronic health records, patient-reported data and census data regarding residential address at the time of first diagnosis, we evaluated the relationships between social determinants and pain perception. Pain responses were self-reported by a patient as a numerical rating scale score at the patient’s initial diagnosis and follow-up clinical visits. We implemented two sets of statistical analyses of the zero-inflated Poisson model and estimated the associations between neighborhood poverty prevalence and breast cancer pain intensity. After adjustment for demographic characteristics, cancer stage, and chemotherapy, pain perception was significantly associated with poverty and blight level of the neighborhood.ResultsAmong women living in the highest-poverty areas, the odds of reporting pain were 2.48 times higher than those in the lowest-poverty area. Women living in the highest-blight area had 5.43 times higher odds of reporting pain than those in the lowest-blight area. Neighborhood-level social determinants were significantly associated with pain intensity among women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer.ConclusionsDistressed neighborhood conditions are significantly associated with higher pain perception. Breast cancer patients living in socio-economically disadvantaged neighborhoods and in poor environmental conditions reported higher pain severity compared to patients from less distressed neighborhoods. Therefore, post-diagnosis pain treatment design needs to be tailored to the social determinants of the breast cancer patients.

Mindfulness-based cognitive theory on cancer pain management: comments on the outcomes of the Aarhus University Hospital research protocol

Over the last 20 years a branch of ‘Mindfulness-Based Interventions’ (MBIs) has been strongly introduced against anxiety and depression. In between, practitioners perform ‘Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy’ (MBCT) to cancer patients in order to assist them manage the intensity of cancer pain. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) communicated very recently that MBIs should be used against cancer pain to compliment the effect of medical drugs. However, the scientific community is still quite skeptical regarding the efficacy of MBCT on cancer pain management, since there is a lack of proper scientific evidence in clinical trials. This article makes comments on the outcomes that were obtained by a single research protocol in Denmark. The published studies tested the efficacy and cost effectiveness of MBCT. What is more, the findings are reflected, as well as further considerations and suggestions are communicated throughout this article.

Clinical Evidence for the Effects of Manual Therapy on Cancer Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of manual therapy (MT) on cancer pain, so as to provide clinical evidence for application. Methods Five English and Chinese databases were searched until February 29, 2020, for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of MT for cancer pain. Articles published in the English or Chinese language were included. Two authors independently reviewed all articles and extracted the data, and any disagreements in the above process were discussed with other reviewers until the authors reached consensus. Review Manager 5.3 was used to calculate the effect size and 95% confidence intervals. This review was registered in PROSPERO, number CRD42020172053. Results The intensity of cancer pain is our primary outcome measure, and compared with standard care, MT can significantly relieve the pain of patients with cancer (SMD, 0.63; 95% CI [0.18, 1.08]; P=0.006 < 0.01); the effects of MT plus active activity were significantly different from AT alone (SMD, 0.79; 95% CI [0.28, 1.30]; P=0.002 < 0.01); there was no statistical difference in the efficacy of MT and AT alone (SMD, -0.24; 95% CI [-1.09, 0.62]; P=0.53 > 0.05). In other related symptoms, the above evidence cannot support that MT had a good effect on fatigue (SMD, 0.77; 95% CI [-0.09, 1.63]; P=0.08 > 0.05), nausea (SMD, 0.24; 95% CI [-0.00, 0.48]; P=0.05), anxiety (SMD, 0.76; 95 % CI [-0.32, 1.84]; P=0.17 > 0.05), and depression (SMD, 0.67; 95 % CI [-0.28, 1.62]; P=0.17 > 0.05); however, MT intervention can improve physical function (n = 271; SMD, 0.35; 95 % CI [-0.04, 0.74]; P=0.04 < 0.05) and global well-being (SMD, 0.50; 95 % CI [0.02, 0.98]; P=0.04 < 0.05). In addition, MT had a significant effect on pain relief (SMD, 0.52; 95% CI [0.03, 1.01]; P=0.04 < 0.05) and improvement of physical function (SMD, 0.28; 95% CI [0.02, 0.53]; P=0.03 < 0.05) even after a period of time after treatment. Conclusion MT was an effective intervention, which may have immediate effect on cancer pain and may improve physical function and global well-being. In the view of follow-up effects, MT had good effects for the reduction of pain and the recovery of physical function. However, because of limitations, the seemingly promising results should be interpreted with caution.

Chronic cancer and non-cancer pain and opioid-induced hyperalgesia share common mechanisms: neuroinflammation and central sensitization.

Neuroinflammation, a peculiar form of inflammation that occurs in response to noxious stimuli in peripheral and central nervous system (CNS), consists in altered vascular permeability followed by leukocyte recruitment and activation in the inflamed tissue, release of inflammatory mediators including cytokines and chemokines, and finally in the activation of microglia and astrocytes in the spinal cord and CNS. This phenomenon mediates and even worsen the inflammatory pain in many painful states and is responsible for central sensitization leading to pain chronicity. We describe the major neuroinflammatory mechanisms shared by cancer and non-cancer pain. Particular attention is given to two different chronic inflammatory painful diseases such as the complex regional pain syndrome and the rheumatoid arthritis as prototypes of neuroinflammatory diseases (gliopathies). In addition, we describe the complexity of tumor microenvironment, their main cellular components (tumor cells, tumor infiltrating leukocytes and sensory neurons) and their reciprocal interactions that characterize different forms and intensity of cancer pain. We also hypothesize that one type of cancer pain, the breakthrough pain, can be attributable to receptor-mediated interaction of opioids with tumor cells and intratumoral leukocytes. Surprisingly, long-term opioid treatment shares the same neuroinflammatory potential responsible for the chronicity of both cancer and non-cancer pain; thus, resulting in paradoxical worsening rather than relieving pain. This paradox has upset the world of pain therapy, with neuroinflammation now being a main target of emerging therapies.

Adiponectin receptor 1 gene is potentially associated with severity of postoperative pain but not cancer pain.

Adiponectin is an adipose tissue-derived cytokine that exerts its antiinflammatory effects by binding to 2 adiponectin receptors, adiponectin receptor 1 (ADIPOR1) and adiponectin receptor 2 (ADIPOR2). However, the role of these adiponectin receptors on inflammatory pain remains unclear. We investigated the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of these genes and inflammatory pain, such as postoperative pain and cancer pain.We analyzed 17 SNPs of the ADIPOR1 gene and 27 SNPs of the ADIPOR2 gene in 56 adult patients with postlaparotomy pain. We compared these genotypes with pain intensity and opioid consumption, adjusting for multiple testing. We analyzed the genotypes of 88 patients with cancer pain and examined the association of the relevant SNP(s) with pain intensity and opioid consumption.One variant of the ADIPOR1 gene (rs12045862) showed significant association with postoperative pain intensity; patients with minor allele homozygote (n = 7) demonstrated significantly worse pain intensity than that of combined patient group exhibiting major allele homozygote or the heterozygote (n = 49; Mann-Whitney test, P < .00002), although their opioid consumptions were comparable. Cancer pain intensity between minor allele homozygote patients (n = 7) and other 2 genotype patients (n = 81) were comparable.The rs12045862 SNP of the ADIPOR1 gene was associated with postoperative pain but not cancer pain. This might result from functional alteration of the ADIPOR1 signalling pathways, which influence the inflammatory process. ADIPOR1 may be a novel potential target for developing analgesics of postoperative pain.

Anxiety, depression, pain, and social support in a large representative cancer population.

76 Background: Pain is one of the most common cancer symptoms. Individuals in pain often experience psychological distress in the form of anxiety and depression. Social support is an important resource utilized by patients to cope with cancer. Aims: (1) Identify clinicodemographic factors influencing cancer pain; (2) examine social support as a moderator of the relation between anxiety, depression and cancer pain. Methods: Participants included stage I-IV cancer patients (N = 11,815) who completed a routine tablet-based psychosocial distress screening at a large academic hybrid, multi-site, community-based cancer institute (Jan 2017- Jan 2019). Participants were matched to the Cancer Registry (N = 7,333); clinicodemographic factors were incorporated into lasso regression models. Models identified pain predictors from self-reported anxiety, depression and social support. Analyses examined if the effect of anxiety and depression on pain differed by levels of social support. Results: Median age was 59 (RNG, 18-101), 61% female and 77% white. Tumor site (GI, Gyn, head/neck), advanced disease, black race, and lower income were independently associated with severe pain. Anxiety (β = 0.48, p &lt; .001) and depression (β = 0.69, p &lt; 0.001) were related to pain intensity after accounting for clinicodemographic factors. The effect of depression on pain differed by level of social support (p = 0.009). The effect of anxiety on pain differed in patients reporting transportation issues (p = 0.035). Conclusions: This is the largest study to date examining cancer pain intensity, psychological factors of anxiety and depression, and social support. Our data suggests that patient characteristics of race, income, tumor site, and disease staging independently predict pain intensity. Anxiety and depression are significant factors of pain intensity; these associations remain after accounting for patient characteristics. Social support buffers the negative impact of anxiety/depression on pain. Clinicians who treat cancer pain should be attuned to modifiable psychological factors which can greatly influence a patient’s pain experience. Findings emphasize the need for interdisciplinary multimodal approaches for cancer pain.

Differences in Pain Intensity of Tumors Spread to the Anterior versus Anterolateral/Lateral Portions of the Vertebral Body Based on CT Scans.

We investigated whether the intensity of cancer pain differs for malignant tumors that have spread to anterior or anterolateral/lateral portions of the vertebral body. We hypothesize that tumor spread to the anterolateral/lateral vertebral body elicits more serious pain due to increased irritation of the spinal nerve. The selection criteria were as follows: (1) advanced or metastatic solid tumor; (2) radicular pain without extremity weakness; (3) malignant lesions anteriorly, anterolaterally, or laterally located at the vertebral body either spread locoregionally or over a greater distance via metastasis based on CT scan diagnosis; and (4) patient needs to use opioids for pain relief. Severe spinal pain intensity was defined as spinal pain for which patients required either strong opioids or spinal irradiation for relief. Eighty-six patients were enrolled in the study. Bone lesions were mainly osteolytic. Thirty-nine tumors spread to the vertebral body in the anterior direction, and 47 in the anterolateral/lateral direction. Severe pain intensity related to vertebral body lesions was due to anterolateral/lateral spread, primary sites of nonurothelial carcinoma, metastatic vertebral lesions, multiple lesions within a vertebrum, and location within the cervical-thoracic spine. In conclusion, patients with tumor spread to the anterolateral/lateral portion of vertebrae bodies based on CT scan diagnosis experienced severe cancer pain. These patients needed strong opioids or palliative spinal irradiation for pain relief.

Cancer Pain Assessment and Classification.

More than half of patients affected by cancer experience pain of moderate-to-severe intensity, often in multiple sites, and of different etiologies and underlying mechanisms. The heterogeneity of pain mechanisms is expressed with the fluctuating nature of cancer pain intensity and clinical characteristics. Traditional ways of classifying pain in the cancer population include distinguishing pain etiology, clinical characteristics related to pain and the patient, pathophysiology, and the use of already validated classification systems. Concepts like breakthrough, nociceptive, neuropathic, and mixed pain are very important in the assessment of pain in this population of patients. When dealing with patients affected by cancer pain it is also very important to be familiar to the characteristics of specific pain syndromes that are usually encountered. In this article we review methods presently applied for classifying cancer pain highlighting the importance of an accurate clinical evaluation in providing adequate analgesia to patients.

Age-Related Patterns in Cancer Pain and Its Psychosocial Impact: Investigating the Role of Variability in Physical and Mental Health Quality of Life.

Age-related patterns in cancer pain remain equivocal. Most studies ignore heterogeneity across multiple domains of well-being, and the potential role of physical (PH) and mental health (MH) quality of life (QOL) in these age-related patterns is unknown. We investigated the relationships between age and cancer pain intensity, qualities, and interference, and physical and psychosocial adaptation and the interaction between age and PH and MH QOL on pain and adaptation to cancer pain. In this cross-sectional study, 244 patients with advanced cancer and pain completed measures of pain, QOL, physical function, and psychosocial well-being. Pearson's correlations and ANOVAs assessed relationships between age and demographic and clinical factors, pain, and physical and psychosocial measures. Regression models tested the role of age and its interaction with PH and MH QOL on pain and physical and psychosocial adaptation. Older age was associated with a lower likelihood of receiving an opioid prescription, greater likelihood of having comorbidities, and worse functional status. When we did not account for these factors, age was not associated with pain and most adaptation indices. When we did account for these factors and PH QOL, older age was associated with lower non-neuropathic and neuropathic pain and several indices of psychosocial adaptation. Most interestingly, older age was associated with lower non-neuropathic pain among those with high, but not low, MH QOL. This study addresses knowledge gaps about factors underlying age-related patterns in cancer pain. Impaired MH QOL may be a proxy for age-related patterns in cancer pain. This study investigated age-related patterns in the experience of cancer pain and the role of quality of life in resilience and vulnerability to pain and adaptation to pain. Older age is associated with lower non-neuropathic pain among those with high, but not low, mental health quality of life, suggesting that impaired mental health quality of life is an important indicator of vulnerability to multidimensional pain outcomes.

The Influence of Education on Cancer Pain Reduction: A Systematic Review

Aims: This literature review aims to assess the contribution of pain education in reducing cancer pain. Methods and sample: An electronic search of articles was performed in CINAHL and MEDLINE with Full Text, from 2003 to 2013, using the EBSCOhost motor search at the Porto Nursing School. The studies were selected obeying search limits 'find all my search terms', 'full text', 'adult', ‘portuguese’, ‘english’ and ‘french’ languages, 'Randomised Control Trials', based on the following inclusion criteria: articles whose participants are patients with cancer pain admitted to medical and surgical units or outpatient services, articles whose intervention includes education on pain and articles which report the implications of intervention in cancer pain intensity. Results: Five studies with a high level of evidence were included in the review. Four studies reported a reduction in pain intensity after intervention, three of them with statistically significant pain reduction. Conclusions: Education can be an important resource for the reduction of pain intensity, and can be implemented by different health professionals, particularly nurses. Its implementation is recommended for the reduction of this specific type of pain. Implications for practice: It is hoped that our findings will increase nurses’ awareness of the importance of involving patients in their own care; Pain education may improve patient’s ability to manage their own pain.

Cancer pain assessment

Adequate cancer pain assessment using valid and reliable tools is essential for proper cancer pain management. Because cancer pain can be a complex construct, assessment of its many domains should be conducted using multidimensional tools. Furthermore, there is a need to develop a standard, consensus classification system for prognosis of cancer pain. Unidimensional tools for assessing cancer pain are useful for measuring cancer pain intensity. Other domains and symptoms of the cancer pain experience are assessed using a variety of multidimensional tools. There is a lack of agreement on a standard assessment tool or a standard classification system for cancer pain, although research continues to be undertaken to develop such resources for clinical and research purposes. Many pain and symptom assessment tools exist for use in the cancer patient, including the Brief Pain Inventory, the McGill Pain Questionnaire, the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory, and the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System, among others. Recent literature reveals the move toward translating these and other tools to electronic applications. Further study is also underway to create a standard, prognostic classification system for cancer pain.

Ból jako czynnik determinujący stan emocjonalny kobiet po radykalnym leczeniu chirurgicznym raka piersi oraz chemioterapii

Introduction: Cancer pain is chronic pain resulting from various mechanisms related to the natural history of the disease, the course of therapy, and psychosocial factors. Aim of the research: To assess the relationship between the intensity of cancer pain in women at the final stage of chemotherapy following radical surgery of breast cancer, and the intensity of negative emotional reactions. Material and methods: The study was conducted in a population of 118 women after radical surgical treatment of breast cancer and undergoing chemotherapy at the Chemotherapy Unit of the Holycross Cancer Centre in Kielce in 2011. The research methodology consisted of a diagnostic survey and medical documentation review. Results: Strong emotional stress manifested by anxiety and depression was experienced by 48.3% and 29.7% of patients, respectively. Aggression was experienced by 15.2%. Intensification of pain was associated with the intensification of anxiety (r = 0.37; p < 0.0001), depression (r = 0.35; p < 0.01), and aggression (r = 0.30; p < 0.01). Conclusions: Adherence to the WHO-recommended analgesic ladder regimen is an effective means to treat chronic cancer pain in women in the final stage of chemotherapy following radical surgical treatment. Effective pharmacotherapy of cancer pain significantly contributes to a reduction in the intensity of negative emotional reactions, i.e. anxiety, depression, and aggression in patients undergoing chemotherapy following mastectomy. Breast cancer chemotherapy is associated with high levels of anxiety, pain, and aggression being experienced by the patients. Pain is an important determinant of the emotional state of women undergoing chemotherapy following radical cancer surgery.

Optimal patient education for cancer pain: a systematic review and theory-based meta-analysis

Previous systematic reviews have found patient education to be moderately efficacious in decreasing the intensity of cancer pain, but variation in results warrants analysis aimed at identifying which strategies are optimal. A systematic review and meta-analysis was undertaken using a theory-based approach to classifying and comparing educational interventions for cancer pain. The reference lists of previous reviews and MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and CENTRAL were searched in May 2012. Studies had to be published in a peer-reviewed English language journal and compare the effect on cancer pain intensity of education with usual care. Meta-analyses used standardized effect sizes (ES) and a random effects model. Subgroup analyses compared intervention components categorized using the Michie et al. (Implement Sci 6:42, 2011) capability, opportunity, and motivation behavior (COM-B) model. Fifteen randomized controlled trials met the criteria. As expected, meta-analysis identified a small-moderate ES favoring education versus usual care (ES, 0.27 [-0.47, -0.07]; P = 0.007) with substantial heterogeneity (I² = 71%). Subgroup analyses based on the taxonomy found that interventions using "enablement" were efficacious (ES, 0.35 [-0.63, -0.08]; P = 0.01), whereas those lacking this component were not (ES, 0.18 [-0.46, 0.10]; P = 0.20). However, the subgroup effect was nonsignificant (P = 0.39), and heterogeneity was not reduced. Factoring in the variable of individualized versus non-individualized influenced neither efficacy nor heterogeneity. The current meta-analysis follows a trend in using theory to understand the mechanisms of complex interventions. We suggest that future efforts focus on interventions that target patient self-efficacy. Authors are encouraged to report comprehensive details of interventions and methods to inform synthesis, replication, and refinement.

The Characteristics and the Pharmacological Management of Cancer Pain and Its Effect on the Patients' Daily Activities and their Quality of Life: A Cross - Sectional study from Malaysia.

Pain is a major health care problem for the patients with cancer and one of the most frequent and disturbing cancer related symptoms. To study the characteristics of pain in cancer patients and its pharmacological management by using a subjective self-assessment questionnaire and the World Health Organization (WHO)analgesic ladder for pain management. This study was conducted in the Oncology Wards of Penang Hospital, Penang, Malaysia. A questionnaire was developed to assess the pain characteristics and their effect on the patients' daily life activities and the information on the pharmacological management of the cancer pain. The cancer pain intensity was noted from the patients' medical database. By using the validated questionnaire, an observational, cross sectional study was conducted on the cancer patientswho were admitted in the oncology wards of Penang Hospital, Malaysia, for a period of 1 month. Descriptive statistics like mean, frequency and percentages were used for this study. A total of 42 patients out of 143, who fulfilled the criteria, were interviewed. The results showed mild pain in 66.7% (28) of the patients, moderate pain in 7.1% (3) and severe painin 26.2% (11). The normal daily life activities were affected by the pain in almost all the patients. Among the interviewed patients, sleep was affected in 88% (37) of the patients and the normal physical activity was affected in 92.9% (39) of the patients. Similarly, the pain decreased the appetite in 78.6% (33) of the patients, it affected the personal relationship in 35.7% (15), it affected the emotion in 71.5% (30) and it affected the visual activity in 33.6% (13) of the patients. Mild pain with distressing symptoms was not treated with any analgesic or adjuvant medications in 40.5% (17) of the patients. In contrast, all the patients with moderate and severe pain were treated with medications. Among them, 66.7% (2) of the patients with moderate pain and 90.9% (10) of the patients with severe pain were treated with analgesics as per the WHO analgesic ladder. The WHO analgesic ladder guide for pain management was followed in a majority of the cases, when analgesics were prescribed. However, there was inadequate treatment of the cancer pain in many patients with mild pain and, consequently, their quality of life was largely affected.