Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-94fs2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-08T08:35:09.318Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Prevalence of pain in head and neck cancer out-patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 May 2010

J E Williams ,
J T C Yen ,
G Parker ,
S Chapman ,
S Kandikattu  and
Y Barbachano
J E Williams*
Affiliation:
Department of Anaesthetics and Pain Management, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
J T C Yen
Affiliation:
Department of Anaesthetics and Pain Management, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
G Parker
Affiliation:
Department of Anaesthetics and Pain Management, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
S Chapman
Affiliation:
Department of Anaesthetics and Pain Management, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
S Kandikattu
Affiliation:
Department of Anaesthetics and Pain Management, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
Y Barbachano
Affiliation:
Clinical Research and Development, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Sutton, UK
*
Address for correspondence: Dr J E Williams, Head of Pain Services, Department of Anaesthetics and Pain Management, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Fulham Road, London SW3 6JJ, UK. Fax: +44 (0)207 8118062 E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background:

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of pain, and the adequacy of its treatment, amongst patients with head and neck cancer, and to determine whether specific groups could be identified as being at risk of pain.

Methods:

Consecutive patients attending head and neck oncology out-patient services were surveyed.

Results:

The prevalence of pain was 34 per cent, lower than that found in systematic reviews. No specific risk factors for pain were identified. Particular pain problems in this population comprised a high incidence of neuropathic pain, breakthrough pain and pain of non-malignant origin.

Conclusion:

The prevalence of unrelieved pain was high in this study population, although no specific risk factors were found. A further study is planned to determine the effect of using a routine screening tool and an immediate pain treatment protocol in this group of patients.

Keywords

Head And Neck NeoplasmsPrevalencePainRisk Factors
Type
Main Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 124 , Issue 7 , July 2010 , pp. 767 - 773
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1van den Beuken-van Everdingen, MHJ, de Rijke, JM, Kessels, AG, Schouten, HC, van Kleef, M, Patijn, J. Prevalence of pain in patients with cancer: a systematic review of the past 40 years. Ann Oncol 2007;18:1437–49CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2Deandrea, S, Montanari, M, Moja, L, Apolone, G. Prevalence of undertreatment in cancer pain. A review of published literature. Ann Oncol 2008;19:1985–91CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3Cleeland, CS, Ryan, KM. Global use of the Brief Pain Inventory. Ann Acad Med 1994;23:129–37Google ScholarPubMed
4Bennett, M. The LANSS pain scale: the Leeds assessment of neuropathic pain symptoms and signs. Pain 2001;92:147–57CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5Cleeland, CS, Gonin, R, Hatfield, AK, Edmonson, JH, Blum, RH, Stewart, JA, Pandya, KJ. Pain and its treatment in outpatients with metastatic cancer. N Engl J Med 1994;330:592–6CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6World Health Organization. Cancer Pain Relief. Geneva: World Health Organization, 1986Google Scholar
7Olson, ML, Shedd, DP. Disability and rehabilitation in head and neck cancer patients after treatment. Head Neck Surg 1978;1:52–8CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8Shedd, DP, Carl, A, Shedd, C. Problems of terminal head and neck cancer patients. Head Neck Surg 1980;2:476–82CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9Robertson, MS, Hornibrook, J. The presenting symptoms of head and neck cancer. N Z Med J 1982;95:337–41Google ScholarPubMed
10Keefe, FJ, Manuel, G, Brantley, A, Crisson, J. Pain in the head and neck cancer patient: changes over treatment. Head Neck Surg 1986;8:169–76CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11Weissman, DE, Janjan, N, Byhardt, RW. Assessment of pain during head and neck irradiation. J Pain Symptom Manage 1989;4:90–5CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12Vecht, CJ, Hoff, AM, Kansen, PJ, de Boer, MF, Bosch, DA. Types and causes of pain in cancer of the head and neck. Cancer 1992;70:178–843.0.CO;2-E>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13Bjordal, K, Kaasa, S. Psychometric validation of the EORTC Core Quality of Life Questionnaire, 30-item version and a diagnosis-specific module for head and neck cancer patients. Acta Oncol 1992;31:311–21CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14Grond, S, Zech, D, Lynch, J, Diefenbach, C, Schug, SA, Lehmann, KA. Validation of World Health Organization guidelines for pain relief in head and neck cancer. A prospective study. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 1993;102:342–8CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
15Epstein, JB, Stewart, KH. Radiation therapy and pain in patients with head and neck cancer. Eur J Cancer B Oral Oncol 1993;29B:191–9CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16Saxena, A, Gnanasekaran, N, Andley, M. An epidemiological study of prevalence of pain in head & neck cancers. Indian J Med Res 1995;102:28–33Google ScholarPubMed
17Talmi, YP, Waller, A, Bercovici, M, Horowitz, Z, Pfeffer, MR, Adunski, A, Kronenberg, J. Pain experienced by patients with terminal head and neck carcinoma. Cancer 1997;80:1117–233.0.CO;2-B>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18Forbes, K. Palliative care in patients with cancer of the head and neck. Clin Otolaryngol 1997;22:117–22CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19Chaplin, JM, Morton, RP. A prospective, longitudinal study of pain in head and neck cancer patients. Head Neck 1999;21:531–73.0.CO;2-M>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
20Terrell, JE. Quality of life assessment in head and neck cancer patients. Hematol Oncol Clin North Am 1999;13:849–65CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
21Chua, KS, Reddy, SK, Lee, MC, Patt, RB. Pain and loss of function in head and neck cancer survivors. J Pain Symptom Manage 1999;18:193–202CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
22Sist, T, Miner, M, Lema, M. Characteristics of postradical neck pain syndrome: a report of 25 cases. J Pain Symptom Manage 1999;18:95–102CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
23Talmi, YP, Horowitz, Z, Pfeffer, MR, Stolik-Dollberg, OC, Shoshani, Y, Peleg, M, Kronenberg, J. Pain in the neck after neck dissection. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2000;123:302–6CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
24Larue, F, Colleau, SM, Brasseur, L, Cleeland, CS. Multicentre study of cancer pain and its treatment in France. BMJ 1995;310:1034–7CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
25Salomon, L, Tcherny-Lessenot, S, Collin, E, Coutaux, A, Levy-Soussan, M, Legeron, MC, Bourgeois, P, Cesselin, F, Desfosses, G, Rosenheim, M. Pain prevalence in a French teaching hospital. J Pain Symptom Manage 2002;24:586–92CrossRefGoogle Scholar
26Kehlet, H, Jensen, TS, Woolf, CJ. Persistent postsurgical pain: risk factors and prevention. Lancet 2006;367:1618–25Google ScholarPubMed
27Apolone, G, Mangano, S, Compagnoni, A, Negri, E, Mosconi, P, Mannino, S, Villa, M, Zuccaro, P.For the Cancer Pain Outcome Research Study Group. A multidisciplinary project to improve the quality of cancer pain management in Italy: background, methods, and preliminary results. J Ambul Care Manage 2006;29:332–41CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
28Valeberg, BT, Rust¢en, T, Bjordal, K, Hanestad, BR, Paul, S, Miaskowski, C. Self-reported prevalence, etiology, and characteristics of pain in oncology outpatients. Eur J Pain 2008;12:582–90CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
29Bruera, E, Scholler, T et al. A prospective multi-center assessment of the Edmonton Staging System for cancer pain. J Pain Symptom Manage 1995;10:348–55CrossRefGoogle Scholar
30Caraceni, A, Portenoy, RK. An international survey of cancer pain characteristics and syndromes. IASP Task Force on Cancer Pain. International Association for the Study of Pain. Pain 1999;82:263–74CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
31Portenoy, RK, Payne, D, Jacobsen, P. Breakthrough pain: characteristics and impact in patients with cancer pain. Pain 1999;81:129–34CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
32Fortner, BV, Okon, TA, Portenoy, RK. A survey of pain-related hospitalizations, emergency department visits, and physicians office visits reported by cancer patients with and without history of breakthrough pain. J Pain 2002;3:38–44CrossRefGoogle Scholar