Breakthrough pain has been recognized as a challenging pain phenomenon in cancer. Oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate (OTFC) recently has been recommended as treatment, but OTFC is not widely available. Therefore, alternatives are needed. In two separate pilot studies, 58 patients were instructed to self-administer subcutaneous (SC) rescue opioids (hydromorphone (n=43), morphine (n=11), or sufentanil (n=4), using a standard injection-pen for breakthrough pain. Patients were asked to rate the overall efficacy of SC rescue opioids on a 3-point scale (not noticeable, moderate, or good). The efficacy was rated as good in 49 patients (84%, 95% CI: 73-91%), moderate in 8 patients (14%), and not noticeable in 1 patient (2%). The median dose per injection was equianalgesic to 25 mg of SC morphine (range: 4-150 mg). Twenty-nine patients (50%) were treated until death (n=26) or were on ongoing treatment (n=3). Patients were treated for a median of 6 weeks (1 day-41 months).

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2004.05.010DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

breakthrough pain
8
rescue opioids
8
patients
6
"pain pen"
4
pen" breakthrough
4
breakthrough cancer
4
pain
4
cancer pain
4
pain promising
4
promising treatment
4

Similar Publications

Intraoperative sensitization in trigeminal region caused by postherpetic neuralgia: a case report.

J Med Case Rep

January 2025

Department of Pain, The Third Xiangya Hospital and Institute of Pain Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China.

Background: Interventional therapy of trigeminal neuropathic pain has been well documented; however, intraoperative monitoring and management of pain hypersensitivity remains barely reported, which may pose a great challenge for pain physicians as well as anesthesiologists.

Case Presentation: A 77-year-old Han Chinese male, who suffered from severe craniofacial postherpetic neuralgia, underwent pulsed radiofrequency of trigeminal ganglion in the authors' department twice. The authors successfully placed a radiofrequency needle through the foramen ovale during the first procedure with local anesthesia and intravenous sedation (dexmedetomidine).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Disparities in labor epidural analgesia (LEA) management could reduce maternal satisfaction and increase risk. We compared times from the first administration of breakthrough pain medication (top-up) to LEA replacement to evaluate disparities across race.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study (01-01-2018 to 12-31-2022), all patients with LEA and maternal race/ethnicity of non-Hispanic White or Black were eligible.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Chronic pain strongly affects the quality of life of patients with liver cancer pain. Safe and effective management of cancer-related pain is a worldwide challenge. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has rich clinical experience in the treatment of cancer pain.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) has been considered for managing cancer pain; however, limited research has been conducted on optimizing continuous infusion rates with PCA. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a method that optimizes background infusion (BI) alongside PCA for titrating intravenous (IV) morphine in managing cancer-related pain.

Methods: Forty-four patients with solid tumors who could not manage pain with oral or transdermal opioid analgesics were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive IV morphine through PCA or the conventional method.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Intervertebral Disc Degeneration and Regeneration: New Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutics: Obstacles and Potential Breakthrough Technologies.

Cells

December 2024

Department of Surgery, Divisions of Orthopaedic and Neurosurgery, University of Toronto, 661 University Ave., Suite 13-1387, Toronto, ON M5G 0B7, Canada.

Pain and disability secondary to degenerative disc disease continue to burden the healthcare system, creating an urgent need for effective, disease-modifying therapies. Contemporary research has identified potential therapies that include protein-, cellular- and/or matrix-related approaches; however, none have yet achieved a meaningful clinical impact. The tissue-specific realities of the intervertebral disc create considerable therapeutic challenges due to the disc's location, compartmentalization, hypovascularization and delicate physiological environment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!