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Review
. 2024 Apr 22;17(4):542.
doi: 10.3390/ph17040542.

Advancing Postoperative Pain Management in Oral Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review

Angelo Michele Inchingolo  1 , Gianna Dipalma  1 , Alessio Danilo Inchingolo  1 , Irene Palumbo  1 , Mariafrancesca Guglielmo  1 , Roberta Morolla  1 , Antonio Mancini  1 , Francesco Inchingolo  1
Affiliations
Review

Advancing Postoperative Pain Management in Oral Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review

Angelo Michele Inchingolo et al. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). .

Abstract

The goal of this review is to shed light on the management of orofacial discomfort after a cancer diagnosis in the head and neck region. A search was conducted on PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science to identify studies on postoperative pain control in oral cancer. The review included open-access research, investigations into pain management, randomized clinical trials, retrospective studies, case-control studies, prospective studies, English-written studies, and full-text publications. Exclusion criteria included animal studies; in vitro studies; off-topic studies; reviews, case reports, letters, or comments; and non-English language. Three reviewers independently accessed databases and assigned a quality rating to the chosen articles. The review explores postoperative pain management in oral cancer patients; highlighting persistent opioid use; the efficacy of adjuvant drugs, such as gabapentin; and a multimodal approach. It emphasizes the need for personalized pain management, recognizing individual pain perception and tailoring interventions. Integrating pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies is crucial for comprehensive pain management. The review also serves as a guide for future research, emphasizing the need for standardized methodologies and diverse participant populations.

Keywords: cancer-related pain; head and neck cancer; opioid; oral cancer; oral squamous cell carcinoma; postoperative analgesia; postoperative pain.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Pain Management Spectrum for Oral Cancer Patients.
Figure 2
Figure 2
PRISMA flow diagram and database search indicators.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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