Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Feb;28(2):157-62.
doi: 10.1097/AJP.0b013e318223be30.

Cancer patient attitudes toward analgesic usage and pain intervention

Charles B Simone 2nd  1 , Neha Vapiwala, Margaret K Hampshire, James M Metz
Affiliations

Cancer patient attitudes toward analgesic usage and pain intervention

Charles B Simone 2nd et al. Clin J Pain. 2012 Feb.

Abstract

Objectives: Although pain is commonly experienced by cancer patients, many receive inadequate pain management. Little data exist quantifying analgesic usage among oncology patients. This study evaluates perceived causes of pain and investigates reasons why oncology patients fail to receive optimal pain management.

Methods: An institutional review board-approved questionnaire assessing pain control and analgesic usage was posted on OncoLink. Between November 2005 and July 2008, 1107 patients responded. Respondents were female (73%), white (74%), educated beyond high school (64%), and had surgery (69%), chemotherapy (64%), and radiation (47%). Most had breast (30%), gastrointestinal (12%), gynecologic (11%), and lung (8%) malignancies.

Results: Sixty-seven percent of respondents reported pain, with 48% reporting pain directly from their cancer and 47% reporting pain from their cancer treatment. Among patients in pain, 25% did not use analgesics. Analgesic usage was significantly less in men (44% vs. 52%, P=0.023), minorities (42% vs. 53%, P=0.001), and patients with lower education levels (45% vs. 53%, P=0.013). Usage varied by cancer diagnosis and was higher among patients who received chemotherapy (56% vs. 40%, P<0.001) and radiation (53% vs. 47%, P=0.058). Reasons for not taking analgesics included: health care provider not recommending medications (85%), fearing addiction/dependence (80%), and inability to pay (76%). Many patients reporting pain, not taking analgesics, pursued alternative therapies (94%).

Discussion: Most cancer patients perceive pain from their disease or treatment, regardless of therapy received. Many, however, did not use analgesics due to concerns of addiction, cost, or lack of health care provider endorsement. Providers should regularly discuss pain symptoms and management with cancer patients.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of Survey Respondents According to Primary Cancer Diagnosis
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Spiegel D, Sands S, Koopman C. Pain and depression in patients with cancer. Cancer. 1994;74(9):2570–2578. - PubMed
    1. Reddick BK, Nanda JP, Campbell L, et al. Examining the influence of coping with pain on depression, anxiety, and fatigue among women with breast cancer. J Psychosoc Oncol. 2005;23(2–3):137–157. - PubMed
    1. Massie MJ, Holland JC. The cancer patient with pain: psychiatric complications and their management. Med Clin North Am. 1987;71(2):243–258. - PubMed
    1. Goisis A, Gorini M, Ratti R, et al. Application of a WHO protocol on medical therapy for oncologic pain in an internal medicine hospital. Tumori. 1989;75(5):470–472. - PubMed
    1. Zech DF, Grond S, Lynch J, et al. Validation of World Health Organization Guidelines for cancer pain relief: a 10-year prospective study. Pain. 1995;63(1):65–76. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms