Patient Perspective on the Management of Cancer Pain in Spain

Abstract

Pain in cancer is often underdiagnosed and undertreated. Breakthrough pain, in particular, severely impacts the quality of life of patients. In this study, we evaluated management and care of pain in Spain from the patient perspective by assessing the experience of 275 patients who had suffered breakthrough pain. Although most patients had suffered moderate-to-severe pain in the last 24 hours, pain relief was achieved in the majority of cases. The body areas with a higher pain intensity was felt varied based on primary cancer. Adherence to treatment was subpar, and patients were moderately concerned about addiction to treatment and adverse events. Doctors did not assess pain in every visit and there is room for improvement in its classification. Education strategies directed toward patients and health care personnel are needed to improve pain assessment, follow-up, and compliance. These could guide shared decision-making and improve communication about cancer pain to improve its care.

Pain characteristics in patients with cancer – analysis of the problems in pain management and palliative care

“…Niedostatecznie zdiagnozowany i leczony przewlekły ból nowotworowy obezwładnia pacjenta i wpływa na wszystkie sfery jego codziennego funkcjonowania poprzez obniżenie jakości życia, ograniczenie aktywności fizycznej, zaburzenie dotychczasowych interakcji rodzinnych, zawodowych i społecznych i powodowanie cierpienia psychicznego. Silny i przewlekle trwały ból w konsekwencji wieloaspektowego oddziaływania na pacjenta może przyczyniać się do gorszego przebiegu choroby nowotworowej i zmniejszenia szans na remisję, a także do rozwoju myśli samobójczych bądź próśb o eutanazję [7][8][9][10].…”

“…Wielowymiarowa ocena bólu ułatwia postawienie trafnej diagnozy i wdrożenie leczenia farmakologicznego podstawowego oraz adjuwantowego dostosowanego indywidualnie do chorego. Pogłębiona diagnostyka bólu umożliwia wykrycie wszystkich komponentów bólu, nie tylko sensorycznych, ale także afektywnych wymagających terapii psychologicznej i psychiatrycznej [10,16,17].…”

Understanding Patient Preferences Regarding the Important Determinants of Breast Cancer Treatment: A Narrative Scoping Review

“…13,14 Prior systematic review studies in the context of BC treatment from the patient's perspective have placed a greater emphasis on the type of care, the satisfaction of the healthcare system, post-cancer treatment care, patient-reported outcome measures, and management of treatment-related side effects rather than on values and perceptions of the attributes that may influence treatment preferences. [15][16][17][18][19] Therefore, the primary objective of this scoping review is to explore and synthesize evidence regarding the important determinants in BC treatment that are most valued and preferred by patients.…”

Qualitative analysis of pain in cancer patients - psychological and clinical aspects

“…Chronic cancer pain, if inadequately diagnosed and treated, may overwhelm the patient and affect all spheres of their daily functioning by reducing the quality of life, limiting physical activity, disrupting existing family, professional and social interactions, and causing mental suffering. Strong and chronic pain, as a consequence of the multifaceted impact on the patient, may contribute to a worse course of the neoplastic disease and reduce the chances of remission, as well as the development of suicidal thoughts or requests for euthanasia [8].…”