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Query: UMLS:C0184567 (acute pain)
 3,962 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The problem of therapeutic opioid misuse largely affects patients who need opioids to treat chronic pain conditions. Opioid misuse is rarely an overt clinical problem during end of life or acute pain treatment. Misuse attaches a stigma to opioid use, and makes many patients and prescribers reluctant to use these uniquely effective drugs, even when misuse is unlikely. Cancer was once an explosive, typically terminal disease and became the prototype for end-of-life opioid pain treatment. However, cancer is no longer such an explosive disease, and many cancer sufferers can now expect to have a prolonged, even normal, lifespan. They may need pain treatment, but this treatment should not be modeled on palliative care paradigms. This article describes the underlying mechanisms of opioid dependence and its progression to addiction, and suggests a cautious approach to opioid treatment of chronic cancer pain that aims to minimize the problem of misuse.
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PMID:Opioid misuse in oncology pain patients. 1768 91

Post-operative pain in older people is a growing problem as the number of those undergoing surgical procedures for cancer continues to increase. Difficulties arise because of the complex nature of the pain itself and the variable manner in which older people can present and respond to treatment. Inadequately treated acute pain can result in significant consequences. Not all healthcare professionals have sufficient knowledge and training in this specific area. Management is also hindered by the limited kinds of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments actually available on a day-to-day basis. Nonetheless, much can still be done. Instead of being protocol driven, post-operative pain management should be tailored to the individual patient's requirements. This can be achieved through effective communication between healthcare team and patient, careful pre-operative planning and selective use of common analgesics based on knowledge of the different advantages and disadvantages of each.
Eur J Cancer 2007 Oct
PMID:A review of the literature on post-operative pain in older cancer patients. 1786 93

Free circulating DNA is present in the plasma of healthy subjects, and is elevated in conditions characterized by increased cell death, such as cancer and physical trauma. Analysis of circulating DNA in plasma could provide a useful biomarker in sickle cell disease (SCD) in view of the increased cell turnover through chronic ongoing haemolysis, recurrent vaso-occlusion and inflammation. Plasma DNA was determined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the beta-globin gene (HBB) in 154 patients with SCD [105 haemoglobin (Hb)SS, 46 HbSC and three HbS/beta(0) thalassaemia] and 53 ethnically matched controls. Blood samples were obtained from all patients in steady state; 21 of the 154 patients were also sampled during admission to hospital for acute pain. Median concentration of circulating plasma DNA in acute pain was more than 10-fold that in steady state and in controls - 10070 vs. 841 and 10070 vs. 933 genome equivalents/ml respectively (P < 0.0001, in both cases). During steady state, patients had plasma DNA levels similar to controls. Plasma DNA levels in SCD correlated with C-reactive protein levels (P < 0.005) and total white cell counts (P < 0.05) in steady state. The study shows that plasma DNA concentration may have potential as a biomarker in sickle cell patients.
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PMID:Circulating DNA: a potential marker of sickle cell crisis. 1789 11

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. These tumors are present in almost all case mutations of KIT-CD117. When located in different places other than the gastrointestinal tract they are called extragastrointestinal stromal tumors (EGISTs). We present the case of a 70-year old patient with abdominal pain. Computed tomography (C/T) and ultrasound (U/S) indicated the existence of a hypoechoic enlarged 9.6 x 10 cm uterus due to leiomyoma. The clinical condition of the patient deteriorated and obtained the characteristics of an acute abdomen. The patient underwent urgent exploratory laparotomy, which revealed the incidental existence of a large tumorous formation in the pouch of Douglas. A total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral ovarectomy, omentectomy, and tumor resection from the rectouterine pouch were performed. Histology analysis confirmed the diagnosis of a malignant EGIST. EGISTs are infrequent in pelvis. In our case, pelvic EGIST led to an acute pain symptomatology obtaining characteristics of invasive uterine leiomyosarcoma. Pelvic imaging with classical methods of U/S and C/T may lead to confusion and false diagnosis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report about an EGIST located in the rectouterine pouch of Douglas leading to acute abdomen symptomatology.
Int J Gynecol Cancer
PMID:Extragastrointestinal stromal tumor mimicking a uterine tumor. A rare clinical entity. 1798 44

Testicular cancer is the most common malignancy in men 20 to 35 years of age and has an annual incidence of four per 100,000. If diagnosed early, the cure rate is nearly 99 percent. Risk factors for testicular cancer include cryptorchidism (i.e., undescended testicles), family history, infertility, tobacco use, and white race. Routine self-examination and physician screening have not been shown to improve outcomes, and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and American Cancer Society do not recommend them in asymptomatic men. Patients presenting with a painless testicular mass, scrotal heaviness, a dull ache, or acute pain should receive a thorough examination. Testicular masses should be examined with scrotal ultrasonography. If ultrasonography shows an intratesticular mass, the patient should be referred to a urologist for definitive diagnosis, orchiectomy, and further evaluation with abdominal computed tomography and chest radiography. The family physician's role after diagnosis of testicular cancer includes encouraging the patient to bank sperm because of possible infertility and evaluating for recurrence and future complications, especially cardiovascular disease.
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PMID:Diagnosis and treatment of testicular cancer. 1832 65

The vanilloid receptor TRPV1 has been identified as a molecular target for the treatment of pain associated with inflammatory diseases and cancer. Hence, TRPV1 antagonists have been considered for therapeutic evaluation in such diseases. During Phase I clinical trials with AMG 517, a highly selective TRPV1 antagonist, we found that TRPV1 blockade elicited marked, but reversible, and generally plasma concentration-dependent hyperthermia. Similar to what was observed in rats, dogs, and monkeys, hyperthermia was attenuated after repeated dosing of AMG 517 (at the highest dose tested) in humans during a second Phase I trial. However, AMG 517 administered after molar extraction (a surgical cause of acute pain) elicited long-lasting hyperthermia with maximal body temperature surpassing 40 degrees C, suggesting that TRPV1 blockade elicits undesirable hyperthermia in susceptible individuals. Mechanisms of AMG 517-induced hyperthermia were then studied in rats. AMG 517 caused hyperthermia by inducing tail skin vasoconstriction and increasing thermogenesis, which suggests that TRPV1 regulates vasomotor tone and metabolic heat production. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that: (a) TRPV1-selective antagonists like AMG 517 cannot be developed for systemic use as stand alone agents for treatment of pain and other diseases, (b) individual susceptibility influences magnitude of hyperthermia observed after TRPV1 blockade, and (c) TRPV1 plays a pivotal role as a molecular regulator for body temperature in humans.
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PMID:Pharmacological blockade of the vanilloid receptor TRPV1 elicits marked hyperthermia in humans. 1835 67

Orofacial pain is commonly associated with cancer and may motivate patients to seek care from an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. Pain may be a presenting symptom of primary tumors, metastatic disease, systemic cancer, or distant non-metastasized cancer. Patients with head and neck cancer undergoing therapy may suffer treatment-induced complications, which are often associated with acute pain. Following cancer therapy, permanent changes to tissues may cause late effects of treatment that may result in chronic orofacial pains. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons should be knowledgeable regarding these orofacial pain presentations.
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PMID:Cancer and orofacial pain. 1834 31

The German Society for the Study of Pain has formed an interdisciplinary committee to answer urgent ethical questions on the diagnosis and treatment of pain and to give an ethical orientation on the care of pain and palliative patients. The treatment of pain is a fundamental objective of medicine. Competent and adequate relief of pain in all stages of life is a basic characteristic of a humane medicine oriented to the quality and meaning of life for people. However, there are substantial deficits in all areas, especially in the knowledge of physicians and patients, in training and further education, diagnosis and therapy. Freedom from pain is a substantial element of quality of life. A central duty of all physicians is an adequate diagnosis and treatment of acute pain and thereby the prophylaxis of chronic pain. If pain persists over a longer period of time, it loses the warning function and becomes taken for granted. Alterations, disabilities and limitations of the physical, psychic and social levels are the consequences. For these patients an interdisciplinary approach is necessary by which various medical disciplines, psychologists and physiotherapists are involved and all collaborate on the diagnosis and therapy of pain. All patients have the right to sufficient and individually tailored treatment of pain. Special attention must be paid to vulnerable patient groups, such as newborns, children and adolescents, as well as aged and mentally retarded patients. For cancer patients pain relief of their tumor pain is totally in the forefront. Indications of "unbearable pain" must not lead to resignation or even be seen as an argument for legalization of "death on request". The nursing of terminally ill patients necessitates a special measure not only of clinical, but also ethical competence, communication and multiprofessional collaboration. The modern options for palliative care are real alternatives to demands for legalization of "death on request". Physician-assisted suicide does not belong to the scope of functions of palliative medicine. The basic constitutional law makes an appropriate treatment of pain obligatory. Neglect of pain treatment fulfils the elements of criminal bodily harm. As a consequence, there is a legal right to a comprehensive pain diagnosis and a pain treatment corresponding to the appropriate standard. The state is obliged to provide the legal, social and financial prerequisites for an adequate treatment of pain. Continuous efforts in research are necessary to fill the existing gaps in our knowledge. The transfer between basic research and clinical application of pain therapy must be urgently improved. Of central importance for the German Pain Society are therefore: Improvement of training and further education in pain therapy. Chronic pain must be accepted and coded as an autonomous sickness. Graded structures for care of pain patients must be realized. Interdisciplinary structures of care must be made available to patients with chronic pain. Palliative medical care is a basic right of all terminally ill patients. Politics and health care providers must establish prerequisites for adequate pain diagnosis, pain therapy and palliative medicine.
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PMID:[Ethic charter of the German Society for the Study of Pain (DGSS)]. 1915 46

Mucositis pain is a major clinical problem associated with cancer treatment. Mucosal tissue injury is a dose-limiting side effect and also limits nutritional intake and oral function, resulting in weight loss and nutritional deficits for many patients. The pathophysiology of mucositis is thought to be a complex array of cytokine-mediated events, which begins with mucosal atrophy and eventually leads to the painful ulceration of the mucosa. This article reviews current research related to pain management for mucositis. Effective treatment for mucositis pain must be targeted at the various factors involved in the pain experience. Although a number of interventions aimed to prevent and treat mucositis have been studied, there is little evidence to recommend any one treatment modality. While current strategies for pain management rely on general treatment for acute pain, research developments are aimed at targeting the specific receptors and enzymes involved in mucositis. As these breakthroughs become available clinically, thorough assessment and timely directed interventions must be implemented in order to limit patient distress from mucositis. This article presents an assessment tool specific to mucositis pain, including physical, functional, and pain parameters.
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PMID:Cancer treatment-induced mucositis pain: strategies for assessment and management. 1836 Jun

Anxieties and emotional disturbances associated with cancer often cause pain therapy to be unsuccessful. When psychological support is required it is mostly aimed at supporting cancer patients in attempts to cope with their disease so as to improve the efficiency of pain therapy. In our study we focused on the barriers to cancer pain management that lie in patient's beliefs about pain and their coping behavior. A pilot study was designed to examine the subjective experience of pain and coping strategies. In a sample of 146 cancer outpatients with pain we found moderate pain intensity levels and good physical conditions (Karnofsky), but an extensive impact on mood and vegetative symptoms associated with "constant or daily pain" and/or attribution of pain to cancer. Coping was characterized by stoicism, "being brave", comparison with others and self-encouragement, but seldom by communication, requests for help or such strategies as distraction, enjoyment and relaxation. Only one third of the pain patients communicated their pain. Women and the patients who had higher pain intensity levels were more likely to suffer in silence, but those who communicated had better acceptance levels of pain intensity than those who did not. In a second study we focused on two questions. What do patients think about pain therapy? Can patients' attitudes on pain and pain management be changed by an information brochure? Selected results obtained in a sample of 72 cancer pain patients are reported. From a 30-item list of statements about pain and pain management, which were extracted from the previous interviews, three distinct types of attitudes in pain patients were derived by cluster analysis. One group of 29 patients was characterized by "non-acceptance of analgesic pain management'. With respect to medication intake, they were afraid of subjecting themselves to physical stress, of addiction and side effects and of loss of control over the disease. They hoped their pain would disappear when the tumour therapy took effect (as with acute pain) and thought they could tolerate it stoically. These patients wanted to take medication only if tumour therapy had no effect and when death was imminent. They had a pain intensity level of 5.5 VAS (without therapy). Adequate pain therapy was given to 14.3% of the "nonacceptors", significantly less (P=0.002) than to the "acceptors" (n=31) who had pain intensity levels of 7.7 VAS (without pain therapy) and had attitudes quite opposed to those of the first group. Adequate pain therapy was given to 58.6% of this group. The third group of patients (n=12) was characterized by "ambivalence toward analgesic pain management". They were similar to the acceptors insofar as they did not fear addiction and side effects of medication, but they were similar to the non-acceptors insofar as they were afraid of losing control over the disease and of putting their body under stress. They also tended to bear pain stoically. Their pain intensity level without therapy was 6.3 VAS. With respect to coping strategies, communication was found significantly less often (P=0.001) than cognitive and behavioural coping. Those patients who used cognitive coping strategies and did not communicate often received inadequate pain therapy. Those who talked about pain but did not use any other coping strategies were mostly well treated. We have designed a brochure, "What tumour patients should know about pain" directly oriented on the above pain beliefs; this is now being evaluated with reference to its educational effect.
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PMID:[Cancer pain: Coping and communication.]. 1841 97


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