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Query: UMLS:C0596240 (cancer pain)
 3,066 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Fifty-one patients with moderate (11/51) and severe (40/51) cancer pain were given a new non-narcotic analgesic -Tromadol HCL capsule (THC). In 42 of these patients, partial relief was obtained with an average relief time (ART) of 4.1 hours. The average starting time was 58 minutes. Pain relief rate (PRR) in moderate and severe pain was 82% (P = 0.945), and the ARTs were 7.4 hr. and 3.2 hr., respectively (P = 0.005). In 43 patients who were entered into a randomized study with control drugs of AT-237 (36 cases) or Anfendein (7 cases), the PRR was 60.4% (26/43), ART was 1.3 hours. The PRR and ART of THC and control drugs were statistically significant (P less than 0.001 and P = 0.023). Within adequate dose range, increase of THC dose could improve its analgesic effect (P = 0.011). The main side-effects were: somnolence (37.3%), nausea (35.3%), dizziness (33.3%), palpitation and anorexia (25.5%) and constipation (9.8%) which did not necessitate the suspension of THC administration.
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PMID:[Pain-relief effect of tramadol HCL capsule for moderate and severe cancer pain]. 139 64

In a prospective study, the prevalence of 15 physical symptoms and symptom groups was evaluated in 1635 cancer patients referred to a pain clinic. In addition to pain, patients suffered an average of 3.3 symptoms: insomnia (59%), anorexia (48%), constipation (33%), sweating (28%), nausea (27%), dyspnea (24%), dysphagia (20%), neuropsychiatric symptoms (20%), vomiting (20%), urinary symptoms (14%), dyspepsia (11%), paresis (10%), diarrhea (6%), pruritus (6%), and dermatological symptoms (3%). While symptom prevalence was influenced by tumor site, pain intensity, and opioid treatment, only a minor relationship was seen between symptoms and gender, age, or tumor stage. The data emphasize that it is not sufficient to simply address pain during the treatment of patients with cancer pain; a more global approach to symptom management is necessary.
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PMID:Prevalence and pattern of symptoms in patients with cancer pain: a prospective evaluation of 1635 cancer patients referred to a pain clinic. 796 90

Development of effective antiemesis has depended upon identification of critical neurotransmitter receptors within the emetic reflex arc. Investigations of cholinergic, histaminergic, dopaminergic, and serotonergic receptors led to our present generation of antiemetics. Opiate and adrenergic receptors are the likely targets of the next generation of antiemetics. The recently identified critical neurotransmitter receptors (opiate, adrenergic, and serotonergic) also provide a link to cancer pain, anticipatory vomiting, and cancer anorexia respectively. Future collaborations are likely to include investigators from various areas of supportive care working together on these common problems.
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PMID:Future of the management of emesis. 800 Jul 27

This paper reports on the experience gained using World Health Organization Guidelines for cancer pain relief over a 10-year period in an anaesthesiology-based pain service associated with a palliative care programme. The course of treatment of 2118 patients was assessed prospectively over a period of 140,478 treatment days. Non-opioid analgesics (WHO step I) were used on 11%, weak opioids (WHO step II) on 31% and strong opioids (WHO step III) on 49% of treatment days. Administration was via the enteral route on 82% and parenterally on 9% of treatment days. On the remaining days, either spinally applied opioids (2%) or other treatments (6%) were utilised. Fifty-six percent of the patients were treated with morphine. Morphine dose escalation was observed in about one-half of the patients being cared for until death, whereas the other half had stable or decreasing doses over the course of treatment. Co-analgesics were administered on 37% of days, most often antidepressants (15%), anticonvulsants (13%) and corticosteroids (13%). Adjuvants to treat symptoms other than pain were prescribed on 79% of days, most commonly laxatives (42%), histamine-2-receptor antagonists (39%) and antiemetics (35%). In addition, palliative antineoplastic treatment was performed in 42%, nerve blocks in 8%, physiotherapy in 5%, psychotherapy in 3% and TENS in 3% of patients. A highly significant pain reduction was achieved within the 1st week of treatment (P < 0.001). Over the whole treatment period, good pain relief was reported in 76%, satisfactory efficacy in 12% and inadequate efficacy in 12% of patients. In the final days of life, 84% rated their pain as moderate or less, while 10% were unable to give a rating. Analgesics remained constantly effective in all 3 steps of the WHO ladder. Other clinical symptoms were likewise significantly reduced at 1 week after initial assessment, with the exception of neuropsychiatric symptoms. During the course of treatment, the latter were the major symptoms on 23% of days, followed by nausea (23%), constipation (23%) and anorexia (20%). Our results emphasise once again the marked efficacy and low rate of complications associated with oral and parenteral analgesic therapy as the mainstay of pain treatment in the palliative care of patients with advanced cancer. Wide dissemination of WHO guidelines among doctors and healthcare workers is thus necessary to effect a clear improvement in the treatment of the many patients suffering from cancer pain in the clinical and home setting.
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PMID:Validation of World Health Organization Guidelines for cancer pain relief: a 10-year prospective study. 857 92

Hospice palliative care programs are rapidly growing in Japan. Although human science has attached importance comparing with natural science in this field, the latter approaches are recently developed to manage symptoms in terminal patients with advanced cancer. These scientific approaches include basic and clinical studies such as physiology, pharmacology, immunology, biochemistry, molecular biology, medical oncology, psycho-oncology and clinical ethics. These multidisciplinary approaches can clarify not only the mechanisms and relationship between cancer pain, cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome and neuro-endocrine-immune systems with or without the abnormalities of body fluid, electrocyte balance, glucose-protein-lipid metabolisms but also clinical ethics and decision-making in terminal patients with advanced cancers. Based on these analyses, the strategies to modulate "homeostasis" for improving quality of life and even prolongation of life span could be developed in the near future. Our goal is to establish science-based medical practice for management of symptoms and improving the quality of life through ethical and scientific clinical trials. Hospice-palliative care in cancer would be expected to confirm what the academic area has termed "cancer palliative medicine" or "palliative oncology".
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PMID:[Cancer palliative medicine turning point in palliative oncology]. 917 May 14

The scope of supportive care and cancer rehabilitation is very wide and heterogeneous. In this review we focus on nutritional aspects, sexual and gonadal function, psychological rehabilitation, treatment of cancer pain, and rehabilitation of patients with bone metastases. The anorexia-cachexia syndrome is a particularly frequent manifestation of cancer that profoundly affects body image and significantly impairs quality of life of cancer patients. However, enteral feeding through nasogastric tubes, gastrostomies, or jejunostomies is an efficient method for providing long-term enteral nutrition at home and for contributing to complete rehabilitation after cancer therapy. Recent effort has focused on nutritional pharmacology and on the optimalization of the use of appetite-stimulating drugs, such as progestational agents. The psychological components of cancer, anticancer therapy, and quality of life have now been widely recognized and studied. Effective pharmacological and psychotherapeutic interventions help patients and their family to better adjust to the chronic stress of cancer, but more specific determinants of psychological morbidity should be developed. In particular, the safe and efficient use of the most recent classes of antidepressants and anxiolytics should be urgently studied. More than 90% of cancer patients present one or more pain syndromes during their illness. The adequate use of drugs is the cornerstone of treatment. The development on new molecules and new routes of administration opens interesting perspectives for cancer pain control. Bone metastases are the source of considerable morbidity. Intravenous bisphosphonates have been successfully used for the treatment of the symptoms of metastatic bone disease, especially bone pain. Moreover, monthly pamidronate infusions in addition to chemotherapy reduce the mean skeletal morbidity rate by more than one third and contribute to the rehabilitation of cancer patients with bone metastases from breast cancer or with multiple myeloma.
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PMID:The concept of rehabilitation of cancer patients. 925 83

Opioid analgesics are widely acknowledged as the most important drugs for the treatment of chronic cancer pain. Although these drugs can in most cases control severe pain, even when they are used appropriately, they may produce new symptoms or exacerbate preexisting symptoms, most notably nausea and somnolence. The combination of severe pain, anorexia, chronic nausea, asthenia, and somnolence is a frequent finding in patient with advanced cancer. An adjuvant drug should meet at least one of the following criteria: 1) to increase the analgesic effect of opioids; 2) to decrease their toxicity; 3) to improve others symptoms associated with terminal cancer. Many drugs, such as nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents, tricyclic antidepressants, corticosteroids, benzodiazepines, amphetamines, antiemetics, oral local anesthetics and bisphosphonates have been suggested to have adjuvant analgesic effects. Unfortunately, most of the evidence for the effects of these drugs is anedoctal. Controlled clinical trials are badly needed to precise the indications and the risk/benefit ratios of these agents, some of which have significant toxicity and could potentially aggravate narcotics toxicity.
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PMID:[Treatment of cancer pain: the role of co-analgesics]. 980 65

BACKGROUND: Pain, dyspnea, and anorexia are common symptoms experienced by patients with cancer and often are poorly managed. METHODS: The incidence and causes of these symptoms are described, as well as factors that exacerbate or ameliorate their impact. RESULTS: Pharmacologic management of cancer pain is based on the use of a sequential "ladder" that incorporates nonopioid, opioid, and adjuvant drugs, depending on the severity of the pain. This approach usually is effective. Other symptoms of advanced disease may be more difficult to control. CONCLUSIONS: Adherence to an adequate pain-control strategy will significantly enhance palliation of pain in patients with cancer.
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PMID:Pain and Symptom Management in Palliative Care. 1076 11

In the medical environment, information disclosure to patients and respect of autonomy have spread rapidly. Today, many terminally-ill cancer patients wish to spend as much time at home as possible. In such situations the patient who has been informed that curative treatments are no longer expected to be beneficial can now hope to receive home care and visiting care from hospice/palliative care services. The essential concepts of hospice/palliative care are symptom management, communication, family care and a multidisciplinary approach. These concepts are also important in the outpatient department. In particular, medical staff need to understand and utilize management strategies for common symptoms from which terminally-ill cancer patients suffer (ex. cancer pain, anorexia/fatigue, dyspnea, nausea/vomiting, constipation, hypercalcemia and psychological symptoms). They also need to know how to use continuous subcutaneous infusion for symptom management in the patients last few days. The present paper explains the clinical practices of hospice/palliative care in the outpatient department. Also discussed is support of individual lives so that maximum QOL is provided for patients kept at home.
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PMID:[Hospice and palliative care in the outpatient department]. 1105 18

As was the case in the era before us, in the new millennium we will continue to see an abundance of patients experiencing cancer-related pain for different reasons. Although much needless pain and suffering still affects many of those with cancer, we are presented with a medical dichotomy. With the analgesic drugs available today, and the relatively simple and effective guidelines to treat cancer pain published and disseminated by the World Health Organization, why do people with cancer continue to experience pain? As we search for the answer, the horizon may hold promising new drugs, 'old drugs' with new interest and applications, and new strategies for the field of pain therapy. Possibilities include the isolation and development of analgesics or analgesic combinations that may minimise the adverse effects which are often associated with the current therapeutic class of opioid analgesics. In addition, current research points to promising results identifying the N-methyl D-aspartate non-opioid receptor as a likely component of neuropathic pain. Drugs such as gabapentin, the mechanism of action of which is not well known, have found favour within the clinical community for their analgesic properties and good tolerability. Methadone, in a phase of resurgence, has garnered the attention of the clinical community because of its unique receptor activity and pharmacoeconomic benefits. A number of clinical studies have demonstrated that methadone has a valuable role in treating cancer pain. Perhaps, an unbalanced focus on the risks of inappropriate use, rather than the benefits, should not compromise or distract from the use of methadone as an alternative to morphine. Studies are on going to assess the potential role of methadone in treating neuropathic pain. Drugs such as cannabinoids, although currently applicable for patients with anorexia, nausea and/or vomiting, may offer benefits to patients experiencing pain. Other opportunities exist with such compounds as alpha2-adrenergic agonists, nicotine, lidocaine and ketamine. New strategies such as the switching opioids and/or their route of administration may offer improved analgesia with fewer adverse effects, thus providing therapeutic alternatives for the clinical community. In addition, there is interest in the co-administration of opioids that act on different receptors. For instance, oxycodone appears to be a kappa opioid receptor agonist and may offer enhanced analgesia when combined with morphine.
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PMID:Strategies for the treatment of cancer pain in the new millennium. 1143 51


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