Cancer-Related Pain: A Longitudinal Study of Time to Stable Pain Control and Its Clinicodemographic Predictors

Abstract

Context. Multidimensional assessment is pivotal in managing cancer-related pain. Objectives. The objectives of this study were to determine time to stable pain control (SPC) and identify its baseline clinicodemographic predictors in patients with cancer pain. Methods. This is a prospective longitudinal study of patients attending a cancer pain clinic. Scheduled clinic attendances and weekly investigator-led phone calls enabled monitoring of patients' daily pain diary, opioid use, and other analgesic interventions. Baseline clinicodemographic variables were examined in survival analyses, which included the construction of accelerated failure time models with time ratios [TRs, (95% CIs)], based on time to SPC (pain intensity #3 and <3 breakthrough opioid doses over three consecutive days) for variable categories. Results. Of 319 participants, 22 died before achieving SPC and were censored in the survival analysis. The median survival time (95% CI) to SPC was 22 (19e25) days. In multivariable analysis, compared to their respective reference categories, female sex (P ¼ 0.001), substance abuse (P < 0.001), a neuropathic pain component (P < 0.001), and use of $1 adjuvant analgesic (P ¼ 0.022) each had TRs > 1 (1.03e2.54), whereas soft tissue pain (P < 0.001) had a TR ¼ 0.71 (0.62e0.82), reflecting longer and shorter time to SPC, respectively. Conclusion. SPC is achievable for most patients with cancer pain. Recognition of strong predictors of time to SPC, such as substance abuse, a neuropathic pain component, soft tissue pain, and current use of adjuvant analgesia, may help to triage care services based on therapeutic need and guide analgesic interventions.

Cancer pain: Results of a prospective study on prognostic indicators of pain intensity including pain syndromes assessment

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Comparison of Machine Leaning Models for Prediction of Acute Pain Severity and On-Treatment Opioid Utilization in Oral Cavity and Oropharyngeal Cancer Patients Receiving Radiation Therapy: Exploratory Analysis from a Large-Scale Retrospective Cohort

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Avaliação De Sintomas Em Pacientes Oncológicos Internados Em Unidade De Cuidados Paliativos Exclusivos

“…Evidência quanto à efetividade da filosofia dos CP no manejo adequado da dor também é ratificada em estudo prospectivo longitudinal. Nesse, os cuidados baseados no conforto como também o tratamento farmacológico concreto reduziu consideravelmente a dor (18) . O cansaço, também denominado fadiga, por ser um sintoma de difícil definição devido ao seu conceito multicausal e multidimensional (19) , apresentou piora do score.…”