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. 2013 Nov;14(11):1673-80.
doi: 10.1111/pme.12223. Epub 2013 Sep 6.

Frequency, characteristics, and correlates of pain in a pilot study of colorectal cancer survivors 1-10 years post-treatment

Amy E Lowery  1 , Tatiana Starr, Lara K Dhingra, Lauren Rogak, Julie R Hamrick-Price, Maria Farberov, Kenneth L Kirsh, Leonard B Saltz, William S Breitbart, Steven D Passik
Affiliations

Frequency, characteristics, and correlates of pain in a pilot study of colorectal cancer survivors 1-10 years post-treatment

Amy E Lowery et al. Pain Med. 2013 Nov.

Abstract

Objective: The long-term effects of disease and treatment in colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors are poorly understood. This study examined the prevalence and characteristics of pain in a sample of CRC survivors up to 10 years post-treatment.

Design: One hundred cancer-free CRC survivors were randomly chosen from an institutional database and completed a telephone survey using the Brief Pain Inventory, Neuropathic Pain Questionnaire-Short Form, Quality of Life Cancer Survivor Summary, Brief Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, and Fear of Recurrence Questionnaire.

Results: Participants were primarily Caucasian (90%) married (69%) males (53.5%) with a mean age of 64.7 years. Chronic pain was reported in 23% of CRC survivors, with a mean moderate intensity rating (mean = 6.05, standard deviation = 2.66) on a 0-10 rating scale. Over one-third (39%) of those with pain attributed it to their cancer or treatment. Chi-square and t-test analyses showed that survivors with pain were more likely to be female, have lower income, be more depressed and more anxious, and show a higher endorsement of suicidal ideation than CRC survivors without chronic pain. On average, pain moderately interfered with daily activity.

Conclusions: Chronic pain is likely a burdensome problem for a small but not inconsequential minority of CRC survivors requiring a biopsychosocial treatment approach to improve recognition and treatment. Open dialogue between clinicians and survivors about physical and emotional symptoms in long-term follow-up is highly recommended.

Keywords: Colorectal Cancer; Pain; Pain Interference; Quality of Life; Survivor.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: No other potential conflicts of interest were noted from the authors.

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