The relevance of real-world data for the evaluation of neuropathic pain treatments.

Treatment of neuropathic pain (NP) is challenging. Interest in real-world evidence (RWE) for benefit-risk assessments of NP treatments increases given the paucity of drugs showing efficacy in randomized controlled trials and restricted labels of available medicines. To provide further context, a literature review regarding regulatory use of RWE and a clinical trial registry search for randomized controlled trials over the last 10 years was carried out.

Long-term follow-up of patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery for phaeochromocytoma.

Introduction: Phaeochromocytomas are rare tumours with a recurrence after open surgery ranging between 6-23 per cent. Long-term follow-up studies after laparoscopic surgery for phaeochromocytoma are lacking. The aim of this study was to look at the long-term oncological outcome of a consecutive series of patients from a single centre undergoing laparoscopic surgery for a phaeochromocytoma.

Localised neuropathic pain in the primary care setting: a cross-sectional study of prevalence, clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, quality of life and sleep performance.

Background: Localised Neuropathic Pain (LNP) is challenging to diagnose and manage in primary care.

Objective: To describe clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, quality of life and sleep performance of patients with LNP and estimate its prevalence in primary care.

Methods: Cross-sectional study in 4 European countries.

Successful and unsuccessful recruitment and retainment strategies in a UK multicentre drug trial for a rare chronic pain condition which performed above target.

Introduction: Recruitment into trials in rare chronic pain conditions can be challenging, so such trials consequently are underpowered or fail.

Methods: Drawing from our experience in conducting, to date, the largest academic trial in a rare chronic pain condition, complex regional pain syndrome, we have identified recruitment and retention strategies for successful trial conduct.

Results: We present 13 strategies grouped across the categories of 'setting the recruitment rate', 'networking', 'patient information', 'trial management' and 'patient retention'.

Association of opioid prescribing practices with chronic pain and benzodiazepine co-prescription: a primary care data linkage study.

Background: Opioid prescribing is increasing worldwide with associated increases in misuse and other harms. We studied variations in national opioid prescription rates, indicators of prescribing quality, co-prescribing of benzodiazepines and relationship with pain severity in Scotland.

Methods: Electronic linkages of opioid prescribing in Scotland were determined from: (i) national data from Information Services Division, NHS Scotland (2003-2012); and (ii) individual data from Generation Scotland: Scottish Family Health Study.

Improving pain control in diabetic neuropathy.

Diabetic neuropathy is thought to affect 1.9% of the world’s population and 50% of patients with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus which would equate to 2.25 million people in the UK.

Low-Dose Intravenous Immunoglobulin Treatment for Long-Standing Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: A Randomized Trial.

Background: Two small trials suggest that low-dose intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) may improve the symptoms of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), a rare posttraumatic pain condition.

Objective: To confirm the efficacy of low-dose IVIg compared with placebo in reducing pain during a 6-week period in adult patients who had CRPS from 1 to 5 years.

Design: 1:1 parallel, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial for 6 weeks, with an optional 6-week open extension.

Neuropathic pain responds better to increased doses of pregabalin: an in-depth analysis of flexible-dose clinical trials.

Background: Pregabalin is an effective treatment option for many patients with neuropathic pain. Higher doses of pregabalin have been shown to be more effective in improving pain outcomes but, in practice, failing to appropriately increase the dose can leave patients under-treated.

Methods: This was a pooled analysis of 6 flexible-dose clinical trials of pregabalin in patients with neuropathic pain (diabetic peripheral neuropathy, peripheral herpetic neuralgia, posttraumatic pain, or postsurgical pain).

The role of topiceuticals in cancer pain.

Purpose Of Review: Pain is one of the most common and feared symptoms associated with a new diagnosis of cancer and its subsequent treatment. Unfortunately, it remains undertreated in around one third of patients. It has been recently postulated that one mechanism for this could be failure to recognize neuropathic pain.

The 5% Lidocaine-Medicated Plaster: Its Inclusion in International Treatment Guidelines for Treating Localized Neuropathic Pain, and Clinical Evidence Supporting its Use.

When peripheral neuropathic pain affects a specific, clearly demarcated area of the body, it may be described as localized neuropathic pain (LNP). Examples include postherpetic neuralgia and painful diabetic neuropathy, as well as post-surgical and post-traumatic pain. These conditions may respond to topical treatment, i.

Tailor treatment to the patient with neuropathic pain.

Neuropathic pain can be considered to be a clinical syndrome with multiple causes ranging from damage to peripheral nerve pathways as the level of peripheral nociceptors to abnormalities in the cortical neurons in the brain. It is defined as pain that is caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory nervous system and is estimated to affect 6-8% of the general population. A low threshold of suspicion in conditions associates with neuropathic pain can aid diagnosis.

Satisfaction, Adherence and Health-Related Quality of Life with Transdermal Buprenorphine Compared with Oral Opioid Medications in the Usual Care of Osteoarthritis Pain.

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) causes substantial pain and reduced health-related quality of life (HRQL). Although opioid analgesics are commonly used, the relative benefits of different opioids are poorly studied. Transdermal buprenorphine (TDB) offers an alternative to oral opioids for the treatment of moderate-to-severe chronic pain.

Controlling joint pain in older people.

Jont pain in oldder people The prevalence of chronic pain in older people in the community ranges from 25 to 76% and for those in residential care, it is even higher at 83 to 93%. The most common sites affected are the back, hip, or knee, and other joints. There is increased reporting of pain in women (79%) compared with men (53%).

A pharmacological treatment algorithm for localized neuropathic pain.

Neuropathic pain is caused by a lesion or disease affecting the somatosensory system and is difficult to manage, often proving refractory to existing treatments. In more than half of cases, it is localized and affects a specific, clearly circumscribed area of the body (localized neuropathic pain, or LNP). A recently developed screening tool enables patients with probable neuropathic pain/LNP to be identified quickly and easily.

Assessment of Transdermal Buprenorphine Patches for the Treatment of Chronic Pain in a UK Observational Study.

Background: Opioids provide effective analgesia for moderate-to-severe, chronic pain. Transdermal buprenorphine (TDB) is available in the UK as weekly, lower-dose (5-20 μg/h) patches and twice-weekly, higher dose (35-70 μg/h) patches. This prospective, observational, multicenter study of patients with various chronic pain conditions assessed the safety, perceptions, and discontinuation of treatment with TDB in a real-world, non-interventional setting (ClinicalTrials.

Diagnosis and management of postherpetic neuralgia.

Risk factors for postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) include: increasing age; a prodrome of pain before rash onset; the degree of spread of the rash, particularly if it extends beyond a single dermatome; and severity of pain during the acute attack. Forty per cent of patients over 50 and 75% of those over 75 develop PHN following resolution of the rash. Patients develop persistent pain classified as PHN 120 days following rash onset.

Improving outcomes for chronic pain in primary care.

Although the patient's goal is often complete pain relief, this is rarely a realistic outcome, so the role of the physician in managing chronic pain involves optimising pain relief as far as possible. Careful explanation and education may be needed to enable the focus to shift from cure to better management of pain, and improvement of function and quality of life. Chronic pain is defined as pain continuing beyond the normal time for tissue healing.

Low-dose intravenous immunoglobulin treatment for complex regional pain syndrome (LIPS): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Longstanding complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is refractory to treatment with established analgesic drugs in most cases, and for many patients, alternative pain treatment approaches, such as with neuromodulation devices or rehabilitation methods, also do not work. The development of novel, effective treatment technologies is, therefore, important. There are preliminary data suggesting that low-dose immunoglobulin treatment may significantly reduce pain from longstanding CRPS.

A multicentre, open-label, follow-on study to assess the long-term maintenance of effect, tolerance and safety of THC/CBD oromucosal spray in the management of neuropathic pain.

Peripheral neuropathic pain (PNP) poses a significant clinical challenge. The long-term efficacy of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)/cannabidiol (CBD) oromucosal spray was investigated in this 38-week open-label extension study. In total, 380 patients with PNP associated with diabetes or allodynia entered this study from two parent randomised, controlled trials.

Burden of herpes zoster in the UK: findings from the zoster quality of life (ZQOL) study.

Background: Herpes zoster (HZ) is a painful condition that can have a substantial negative impact on patients' lives. However, UK-specific data on the debilitating impact of HZ, in terms of patients' experience of pain and impairments in Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) are limited. The Zoster Quality of Life (ZQOL) study, a large-scale UK cross-sectional study, was conducted to quantify the burden of HZ in UK patients.

Estimating the burden of disease in chronic pain with and without neuropathic characteristics: does the choice between the EQ-5D and SF-6D matter?

The EQ-5D and Short Form (SF)12 are widely used generic health-related quality of life (HRQoL) questionnaires. They can be used to derive health utility index scores, on a scale where 0 is equivalent to death and 1 represents full health, with scores less than zero representing states "worse than death." We compared EQ-5D or SF-6D health utility index scores in patients with no chronic pain, and chronic pain with and without neuropathic characteristics (NC), and to explore their discriminant ability for pain severity.

Burden of post-herpetic neuralgia in a sample of UK residents aged 50 years or older: findings from the Zoster Quality of Life (ZQOL) study.

Background: Post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) is the most common complication of herpes zoster (shingles). As a chronic condition, PHN can have a substantial adverse impact on patients' lives. However, UK-specific data concerning the burden of PHN on individual patients, healthcare systems and wider society, are lacking.

A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel group study of THC/CBD spray in peripheral neuropathic pain treatment.

Background: Peripheral neuropathic pain (PNP) associated with allodynia poses a significant clinical challenge. The efficacy of Δ(9) -tetrahydrocannabinol/cannabidiol (THC/CBD) oromucosal spray, a novel cannabinoid formulation, was investigated in this 15-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel group study.

Methods: In total, 303 patients with PNP associated with allodynia were screened; 128 were randomized to THC/CBD spray and 118 to placebo, in addition to their current analgesic therapy.