Central pain in cancer patients.

The prevalence of pain caused by injury to the central nervous system (CNS), or central pain (CP), in cancer patients is unknown. In order to define prevalence and characteristics of central pain in hospitalized patients with cancer, we performed a retrospective review of medical records of patients evaluated by 2 different services: the Pain Service and the Neurology Service, at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. The prevalence of CP in these patients was 4% and 2%, respectively. Primary and metastatic tumors and their therapy, including surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, were all potential causes of CP. The occurrence of CP in patients with primary CNS tumors was higher in patients with spinal cord tumors compared to patients with brain tumors (P <.0001).