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Introduction: Pain management in patients with cancer is a critical aspect of oncological care, yet remains challenging with current pharmacological therapies. Non-pharmacological interventions, offering potential benefits without the adverse effects of drugs, have gained attention. However, the effectiveness of these diverse non-pharmacological interventions is not well understood, creating a gap in clinical practice. This study aims to conduct a systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA) to evaluate the efficacy of various non-pharmacological interventions for pain management in patients with cancer, providing evidence-based guidance for clinicians and patients., Methods and Analysis: A systematic review and Bayesian NMA will be performed. To assess the efficacy of interventions for cancer pain, we will search six electronic databases: Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, focusing on identifying randomised controlled trials. Literature screening should be independently performed by two reviewers. A NMA will evaluate the efficacy of various non-pharmacological interventions for cancer pain. A second NMA will compare the efficacy of different non-pharmacological interventions in relieving pain interference in patients with cancer pain. Bayesian 95% credible intervals will be used to estimate the pooled mean effect size for each treatment, and the surface under the cumulative ranking area will be employed to rank the effectiveness of the treatments., Ethics and Dissemination: Ethical approval is not required for this systematic review of the published data. Findings will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publication., Prospero Registration Number: CRD42024483025., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Many individuals diagnosed with lung cancer suffer from tremendous pain, and it is crucial to implement more effective measures to assist these patients in alleviating their pain. The present study utilizes a meta-analysis to evaluate the safety and efficacy of acupuncture combined with opioids for treating lung cancer-related pain in patients., Methods: We have searched 8 electronic databases: The Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Science and Technology Journal Database, Wanfang Database, and SinoMed. We included all randomized controlled trials of acupuncture combined with opioids for lung cancer-related pain in adults. We observed the main outcome indicators, including pain relief rates, numeric rating scale scores, and adverse events. Two researchers independently conducted literature screening, literature data extraction, and assessment of bias risk in the literature quality. Any disagreements were resolved through discussions between the 2 researchers or consultations with a third researcher. The risk of bias in the included studies was assessed using the revised risk of bias assessment tool. The overall quality of evidence for each outcome was evaluated using Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations., Results: We retrieved 812 lung cancer patients from 11 trials. The study showed that compared to opioids alone, the combination of acupuncture and opioids significantly reduced numeric rating scale scores, increased pain relief rates, and decreased the occurrence of side effects., Conclusion: The current evidence indicates that combining acupuncture with opioid analgesics is superior to using opioid analgesics alone for managing lung cancer-related pain. Additionally, this combination therapy has fewer adverse reactions., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background: People with cancer who have completed treatment still experience negative effects, such as an increased risk of experiencing cancer-related pain. Psychological factors tend to influence cancer patients' ability to cope with pain in various dimensions. Although personal resources are an important factor in buffering total pain, still little is known about the intervening variables and underlying mechanisms., Purpose: The current study examined the relationship between psychological flexibility, self-esteem, and total pain, while considering fear of recurrence, meaning-making, and coping as potential mediating factors., Methods: Adults (N = 304) who completed medical treatment (radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and combined therapy) participated in this study. They completed questionnaires measuring the aforementioned variables. Structural equation models were used to examine mediation effects., Results: Psychological flexibility, and partly self-esteem, were negatively related to the dimensions of total pain. However, to a large extent, these relationships were serially and parallelly mediated by fear of recurrence, meaning-making, and emotion-oriented coping., Conclusions: Consistent with the meaning-making model, cognitive (meaning-making), and affective (fear of recurrence and emotional coping) factors may be potential mechanisms underlying the association between psychological flexibility, self-esteem, and total pain in posttreatment cancer patients. In this study, they tended to interact in the area of physiological and psychosocial experiences of cancer-related pain., (© Society of Behavioral Medicine 2024. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness, compared with usual care, of an interactive online group programme combining pain neuroscience education (PNE) and graded exposure to movement (GEM) for improving quality of life and pain experience in breast cancer survivors with chronic pain., Methods: This single-blind randomised controlled trial included a sample of 49 breast cancer survivors who were randomly assigned to two groups (experimental: n = 22 and control: n = 27). The experimental group received a 12-week person-centred online programme based on pain neuroscience education and therapeutic yoga as gradual exposure to movement, while the control group continued with their usual care. The primary outcome was quality of life (FACT-B + 4); the secondary outcomes were related to the experience of chronic pain (pain intensity, pain interference, catastrophizing, pain self-efficacy, kinesiophobia, and fear avoidance behaviours). All variables were assessed at four time points (T0, baseline; T1, after PNE sessions; T2, after yoga sessions; T3, at 3-month follow-up). For data analysis, ANOVA (2 × 4) analysis of variance (95% CI) was used when outcomes were normally distributed. If not, within-group and between-group comparisons were calculated., Results: Thirty-six participants were included in the analysis (control group, 22; experimental group, 14). A significant time * group effect was observed in favour of the experimental group regarding the global quality of life score (p = 0.010, η p 2  = 0.124). Significant differences in favour of the experimental group were observed for pain intensity, pain interference, catastrophizing, and pain self-efficacy. These differences persisted at follow-up., Conclusions: An online intervention based on PNE and GEM appears to be more effective than usual care for improving quality of life in breast cancer survivors with chronic pain, as a time per group interaction was reported. In addition, the intervention also significantly improved the participants' experience of chronic pain. However, due to the study limitations further research is needed. Trial record: NCT04965909 (26/06/2021)., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: To improve mechanistic understanding, this randomized controlled trial examined anxiety, mood, emotional support, and pain-related self-efficacy as mediators of music therapy for pain management in people with advanced cancer., Methods: People with advanced cancer who had chronic pain were randomized (1:1) to 6 weekly individual music therapy or social attention control sessions. We measured mediators and pain outcomes (pain interference and pain intensity) using self-report measures at baseline, session 4, and post-intervention. We included outcome expectancy/treatment credibility, music reward, adult playfulness, and baseline pain interference and pain intensity as moderators., Results: Participants (n = 92) had a mean age of 56 years. Most were female (71.7%), white (47.8%) or Black (39.1%), and had stage IV cancer (75%). Self-efficacy was found to be a significant mediator of music therapy for pain intensity (indirect effect ab = 0.79, 95% CI 0.01-1.82) and pain interference (indirect effect ab = 1.16, 95% CI 0.02-2.51), while anxiety, mood, and emotional support were not. The mediating effect of pain-related self-efficacy was significantly moderated by baseline pain interference but not by the other moderators., Conclusions: The findings suggest that the impact of music therapy on chronic pain is mediated by self-efficacy. This knowledge can help optimize music therapy interventions for chronic pain management for people with advanced cancer by capitalizing on teaching music-based self-management strategies., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03432247., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Cancer-related bone pain remains a prevalent and frequently incapacitating ailment. Although conventional approaches effectively alleviate pain in most individuals, a subset of patients may continue to experience intractable pain. Current recommendations for treating cancer-related bone pain include oral analgesics and multimodal adjuvants, radiation therapy, and, in selected cases, intrathecal therapy. Cancer-related bone pain is mediated by a proliferation of sensory and sympathetic fibers. Thus, we believe that this pain can be successfully managed with minimally invasive sympathetic blockade (SB)., Methods: In a retrospective observational cohort, we reviewed patients who underwent single-shot SB for uncontrolled cancer-related bone pain despite receiving opiate analgesics and other interventions. We documented the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) ratings, the numeric rating scale (NRS) pain scores, and the morphine equivalent daily dose (MEDD) before and after SB., Results: The final cohort included 43 patients (median age, 58 years [range, 23-86 years]) with a history of bone pain experienced for a median of 6 months (IQR, 3-12 months). Comparing before and after the SB, patients had pain reduction -6 (IQR, -7 to -4; P<.001), reduction of ESAS scores of -17 (IQR, -23 to -3; P<.001), and reduction of MEDD -57 mg (95% CI, -79 to -34; P<.001). The treatment was well tolerated., Conclusions: Blockade of sympathetic afferent innervation is an effective and cost-effective modality that can be safely used to palliate intractable pain in patients with malignant bone pain.

Chronic pain often coincides with changes in gut microbiota composition. Yet, the role of gut microbiota in bone cancer pain (BCP) is still not fully understood. This study investigated the role of gut microbiota in BCP and the effect of oxymatrine (OMT) on gut microbiota in BCP. A BCP mice model was developed to assess gut microbiota composition, serum and brain tissue butyric acid levels, and blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability. Microbiota transplantation was used to restore gut microbiota, and the effect of Clostridium butyricum or sodium butyrate (NaB) supplementation on pain-related behaviors and BBB integrity was evaluated. The potential benefits of OMT on gut microbiota composition, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ)/cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) signaling, BBB integrity, and pain-related behaviors were also explored. BCP significantly altered gut microbiota composition and reduced serum and brain tissue butyric acid levels. Additionally, BBB permeability increased considerably in the BCP group compared with sham and control mice. Microbiota transplantation, as well as C butyricum or NaB supplementation, ameliorated pain-related behaviors and BBB integrity; the supplementation of C butyricum or NaB boosted brain-tight-junction protein expression, potentially through modulating PPARγ/COX-2 signaling. OMT influenced gut microbiota composition and regulated PPARγ/COX-2 signaling in the BCP model, improving pain-related behaviors and BBB integrity. BCP affects gut microbiota composition and butyric acid levels. Modulating gut microbiota and butyric acid levels through transplantation or supplementation may alleviate BCP. OMT shows potential as a treatment by altering gut microbiota composition and regulating PPARγ/COX-2 signaling. These findings provide new insights into BCP pathophysiology and possible treatments. PERSPECTIVE: This study explores the impact of gut microbiota on BCP. Microbiota transplantation alleviates BCP and enhances BBB integrity. Also, C butyricum or NaB improves BBB via PPARγ/COX-2. OMT, a BCP treatment, modifies microbiota by regulating PPARγ/COX-2, in turn improving pain and BBB integrity. These findings suggest a therapeutic approach, emphasizing clinical relevance in targeting gut microbiota and restoring butyric acid levels., (Copyright © 2024 United States Association for the Study of Pain, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Individuals living with cancer and survivors of cancer who self-identify as Hispanic experience higher pain burden and greater barriers to pain management compared with their non-Hispanic counterparts. The Society for Integrative Oncology-ASCO guideline recommends acupuncture and massage for cancer pain management. However, Hispanic individuals' expectations about these modalities remain under-studied and highlight a potential barrier to treatment utilization in this population. We conducted a subgroup analysis of baseline data from two randomized clinical trials to evaluate ethnic differences in treatment expectations about integrative pain treatment modalities among Hispanic and non-Hispanic cancer patients and survivors of cancer. The Mao Expectancy of Treatment Effects (METE) instrument was used to measure treatment expectancy for electro-acupuncture, auricular acupuncture, and massage therapy. Results of this study demonstrated that Hispanic participants reported greater expectation of benefit from electroacupuncture, auricular acupuncture, and massage (all P < 0.01). After controlling for age, gender, race, and education, Hispanic ethnicity remained significantly associated with greater expectation of benefit from integrative therapies for pain (coef.=1.47, 95% CI, 0.67-2.27). Non-white race (coef.=1.04, 95% CI, 0.42-1.65), no college education (coef.=1.16, 95% CI, 0.59-1.74), and female gender (coef.=0.94, 95% CI, 0.38-1.50) were also associated with a greater expectation of benefit from integrative therapies. Pain management should be informed by a shared decision-making approach that aligns treatment expectancy with treatment selections to optimize outcomes. Compared with non-Hispanic participants, Hispanic individuals reported higher expectation of benefit from acupuncture and massage, highlighting the potential role for integrative therapies in addressing ethnic pain disparities. Trial Registration NCT02979574 NCT04095234., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: This study evaluated the real-world impact of acupuncture on analgesics and healthcare resource utilization among breast cancer survivors., Methods: From a United States (US) commercial claims database (25% random sample of IQVIA PharMetrics® Plus for Academics), we selected 18-63 years old malignant breast cancer survivors experiencing pain and ≥ 1 year removed from cancer diagnosis. Using the difference-in-difference technique, annualized changes in analgesics [prevalence, rates of short-term (< 30-day supply) and long-term (≥ 30-day supply) prescription fills] and healthcare resource utilization (healthcare costs, hospitalizations, and emergency department visits) were compared between acupuncture-treated and non-treated patients., Results: Among 495 (3%) acupuncture-treated patients (median age: 55 years, stage 4: 12%, average 2.5 years post cancer diagnosis), most had commercial health insurance (92%) and experiencing musculoskeletal pain (98%). Twenty-seven percent were receiving antidepressants and 3% completed ≥ 2 long-term prescription fills of opioids. Prevalence of opioid usage reduced from 29 to 19% (P < 0.001) and NSAID usage reduced from 21 to 14% (P = 0.001) post-acupuncture. The relative prevalence of opioid and NSAID use decreased by 20% (P < 0.05) and 19% (P = 0.07), respectively, in the acupuncture-treated group compared to non-treated patients (n = 16,129). However, the reductions were not statistically significant after adjustment for confounding. Patients receiving acupuncture for pain (n = 264, 53%) were found with a relative decrease by 47% and 49% (both P < 0.05) in short-term opioid and NSAID fills compared to those treated for other conditions. High-utilization patients (≥ 10 acupuncture sessions, n = 178, 36%) were observed with a significant reduction in total healthcare costs (P < 0.001) unlike low-utilization patients., Conclusions: Although adjusted results did not show that patients receiving acupuncture had better outcomes than non-treated patients, exploratory analyses revealed that patients treated specifically for pain used fewer analgesics and those with high acupuncture utilization incurred lower healthcare costs. Further studies are required to examine acupuncture effectiveness in real-world settings., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Opinion Statement: Neuropathic cancer pain is experienced by 30-40% of patients with cancer. It significantly reduces quality of life and overall wellbeing for patients living with and beyond cancer. The underlying mechanisms of neuropathic pain in patients with cancer are complex and involve direct tumour involvement, nerve compression or infiltration, chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy-induced nerve damage, or post-surgical complications. It is crucial for healthcare professionals to assess and manage neuropathic cancer pain effectively. There is increasing recognition that standardisation of neuropathic pain assessment leads to tailored management and improved patient outcomes. Pain management strategies, including medication, interventional analgesia, physical and complementary therapy, can help alleviate neuropathic pain and improve the patient's comfort and quality of life., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Context: Patients with cancer-related pain and concurrent substance use disorder (SUD) present a unique set of challenges for palliative care clinicians. A structured forum for interdisciplinary collaboration is needed to effectively manage this complex population. Objectives: Describe the feasibility and acceptability of a palliative care Complex Pain Board (CPB), an interdisciplinary team meeting to provide concrete care recommendations for patients with cancer-related pain and concurrent SUD and/or psychosocial complexity. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of cases presented at CPB between May 2021 and June 2022 and a cross-sectional analysis of CBP participant surveys. Results: Among 28 cases included for analysis, gastrointestinal cancers ( n = 7, 25.9%) and multiple myeloma ( n = 5, 18.5%) were the most frequent cancer diagnoses. Primary reasons for referral were SUD ( n = 22, 78.6%) and provider/team distress ( n = 13, 46.4%). The most frequent recommendations made at CBP were encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration ( n = 18, 64.3%), maintaining healthy boundaries ( n = 15, 53.6%), and SUD management ( n = 13, 46.4%). Of 14 scheduled meetings, most meetings involved the presentation of ≥1 cases ( n = 12, 86%). Among 40 CBP participant surveys, most attendees ( n = 38, 95%) were likely or highly likely to continue to attend. Conclusion: CPB is a feasible and acceptable intervention that allows for palliative care clinicians to collaborate and receive interdisciplinary team feedback and peer support on the management of patients with cancer-related pain and concurrent SUD and/or psychosocial complexity in the ambulatory care setting. Key Message: A regular, interdisciplinary team meeting (CPB) is a feasible and acceptable intervention to help palliative care clinicians manage challenging cases involving patients with cancer and concurrent SUD and/or psychosocial complexity.

Context: Cancer pain is multidimensional and management should be individualized to patient goals. The current standard for pain goal assessment is the personal pain goal (PPG), a numeric rating for tolerable pain intensity. However, the PPG may not accurately capture a personally meaningful goal for tailoring pain management., Objectives: Identify how pain goals are used in cancer pain management and types of goals researched., Methods: CINAHL, PsychInfo, and PubMed databases and manual searching were used to locate research or scholarship about cancer pain goals. Authors reviewed titles, abstracts and full text to agree on the final sample., Results: Sixteen articles met inclusion criteria. Study designs included: quality improvement project (1), concept analysis (1), qualitative methods (5), quantitative methods (8), and mixed methods (1). Findings included: goal setting as a key attribute of pain management; achieving personal goals as the outcome of pain management work; qualitative themes discussed personal goals related to pain management; developing a patient pain management resource including a SMART goal; using motivational interviewing to set functional pain goals; PPG assessment was feasible; and achieving PPG equated to having controlled pain when compared to the clinically important difference measure used in research (≥30%). Quantitative studies reported on PPGs only., Conclusion: Currently, assessments for cancer pain goals do not include function, activities, moods, medication effects, or safety that patients wish to achieve as a pain management outcome. Development and testing of multidimensional patient pain goals assessments is warranted so that goals can be consistently assessed, documented, and personally meaningful., (Copyright © 2024 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To analyze the effectiveness of image-guided energy ablation techniques with and without concurrent therapies in providing palliative pain relief in patients with bone metastases., Materials and Methods: Ovid Embase, Ovid Medline, and Pubmed were searched from inception to April 14, 2023, using search terms related to bone lesions and MeSH terms regarding ablation therapy. English peer-reviewed primary articles were included that reported pain scores following image-guided energy-based ablation of bone metastases. Exclusion criteria included nonpalliative treatment, pain scores associated with specific treatment modalities not reported, and nonmetastatic bone lesions. Mean percentage reduction in pain score was calculated., Results: Of the 1,396 studies screened, 54 were included. All but 1 study demonstrated decreased pain scores at final follow-up. Mean reductions in pain scores at final follow-up were 49% for radiofrequency (RF) ablation, 58% for RF ablation and adjunct, 54% for cryoablation (CA), 72% for cryoablation and adjunct (CA-A), 48% for microwave ablation (MWA), 81% for microwave ablation and adjunct (MWA-A), and 64% for high-intensity focused ultrasound (US). Postprocedural adverse event rates were 4.9% for RF ablation, 34.8% for RF ablation and adjunct, 9.6% for CA, 12.0% for CA-A, 48.9% for MWA, 33.5% for MWA-A, and 17.0% for high-intensity focused US., Conclusions: Image-guided energy ablation demonstrated consistently strong reduction in pain across all modalities, with variable postprocedural adverse event rates. Owing to heterogeneity of included studies, quantitative analysis was not appropriate. Future primary research should focus on creating consistent prospective studies with established statistical power, explicit documentation, and comparison with other techniques., (Copyright © 2024 SIR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Patients with advanced cancer often experience immense cancer pain that negatively impacts their quality of life. Interventions to address cancer-related pain are limited., Methods: We conducted a randomized trial of a digital therapeutic app (ePAL) for patients with advanced cancer receiving care in a specialty palliative care clinic at a tertiary care hospital. Patients were randomized to ePAL or usual care. ePAL included 1) active pain monitoring; 2) artificial intelligence algorithm to triage patient symptoms; and 3) patient education to address barriers to pain management. Participants were instructed to use ePAL over eight weeks. Patient-reported pain symptoms were assessed at baseline, Week-4, and Week-8 (primary endpoint) using the Brief Pain Inventory. Secondary outcomes include pain-related hospitalizations by Week-8., Results: We enrolled 112 patients who were randomly assigned to ePAL (N = 56) or usual care (N = 56). Patients utilized ePAL on average 2.1 times per week to report pain symptoms, and 47.6% reported their pain at least once per week over eight weeks. Patients randomized to ePAL reported lower pain scores at Week-4 (mean: 3.16 vs. 4.28, P = 0.010) and week-8 (mean:2.99 vs. 4.05, P = 0.017), compared to those receiving usual care. Participants randomized to ePAL were less likely to experience a pain-related hospitalization compared to those in the usual care group (7.1% vs. 23.2% P = 0.018) CONCLUSIONS: ePAL was associated with lower patient-reported pain and fewer pain-related hospitalizations compared to usual care in patients with advanced cancer. This study demonstrates the promise of digital therapeutics for improving patients' symptoms while reducing burdensome hospitalizations., (Copyright © 2024 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The Stop Cancer PAIN Trial was a phase III pragmatic stepped wedge cluster randomised controlled trial which compared effectiveness of screening and guidelines with or without implementation strategies for improving pain in adults with cancer attending six Australian outpatient comprehensive cancer centres (n = 688). A system for pain screening was introduced before observation of a 'control' phase. Implementation strategies introduced in the 'intervention' phase included: (1) audit of adherence to guideline recommendations, with feedback to clinical teams; (2) health professional education via an email-administered 'spaced education' module; and (3) a patient education booklet and self-management resource. Selection of strategies was informed by the Capability, Opportunity and Motivation Behaviour (COM-B) Model (Michie et al., 2011) and evidence for each strategy's stand-alone effectiveness. A consultant physician at each centre supported the intervention as a 'clinical champion'. However, fidelity to the intervention was limited, and the Trial did not demonstrate effectiveness. This paper reports a sub-study of the Trial which aimed to identify factors inhibiting or enabling fidelity to inform future guideline implementation initiatives., Methods: The qualitative sub-study enabled in-depth exploration of factors from the perspectives of personnel at each centre. Clinical champions, clinicians and clinic receptionists were invited to participate in semi-structured interviews. Analysis used a framework method and a largely deductive approach based on the COM-B Model., Results: Twenty-four people participated, including 15 physicians, 8 nurses and 1 clinic receptionist. Coding against the COM-B Model identified 'capability' to be the most influential component, with 'opportunity' and 'motivation' playing largely subsidiary roles. Findings suggest that fidelity could have been improved by: considering the readiness for change of each clinical setting; better articulating the intervention's value proposition; defining clinician roles and responsibilities, addressing perceptions that pain care falls beyond oncology clinicians' scopes of practice; integrating the intervention within existing systems and processes; promoting patient-clinician partnerships; investing in clinical champions among senior nursing and junior medical personnel, supported by medical leaders; and planning for slow incremental change rather than rapid uptake., Conclusions: Future guideline implementation interventions may require a 'meta-implementation' approach based on complex systems theory to successfully integrate multiple strategies., Trial Registration: Registry: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry; number: ACTRN 12615000064505; data: https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspxid=367236&isReview=true ., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: To clarify the knowledge and practical skills needed for cancer pain management among nurses on remote islands in Japan and related factors nationwide., Setting: Due to geographical factors, nurses working on remote islands in Japan have few opportunities to attend training programs, which makes it difficult to acquire the knowledge and practical skills needed to provide pain management for patients with cancer., Methods: We conducted a self-administered questionnaire survey regarding knowledge and practical skills in pain management for patients with cancer., Design: Cross-sectional study., Participants: Nurses working in cancer pain care in medical facilities and home care on remote islands throughout Japan., Results: We analysed 128 responses. Regarding knowledge, the average accuracy level was 49.1%. Items with a low accuracy rate included selecting medicine according to the type of pain and the patient's condition. Regarding practice, the items with low scores included analgesics appropriate for the type of pain and relating physical pain to mental, social and spiritual aspects. The most common significant factor in both knowledge and practice was related to postgraduate training., Conclusions: These findings suggest that to improve the knowledge and practical skills for cancer pain management among nurses on remote islands in Japan, it is necessary to incorporate clinical reasoning into basic education and establish remote education systems and consultation systems with other facilities., (© 2024 The Author(s). Australian Journal of Rural Health published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of National Rural Health Alliance Ltd.)

Background: Many studies have focused on the quality of pain management in hospitalized patients with cancer pain, while what happens after discharge remains unclear., Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the pain intensity and satisfaction of pain relief among a large sample of Chinese patients with cancer pain after discharge., Design: Cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational research., Settings and Sample: ABOUT: 1,013 patients were recruited in a tertiary cancer hospital, and their residence addresses were distributed in 6 geographical regions, including 26 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions., Methods: The 1,013 patients with cancer pain were discharged from the wards of a national cancer hospital in China from July 2020 to October 2021. A nurse in the pain clinic followed the patients based on a whole-process information system and collected the data after the cancer pain patients were discharged. The study methods followed the STROBE guidelines., Results: The average age of 1,013 discharged patients was 61.30 (±12.56) years. Moderate and severe background pain (BGP) was reported in 749 patients (73.94%), and more than 3 instances of breakthrough pain (BTP) in the past 24 hours were reported in 541 patients (53.41%). More severe BGP was associated with more frequent BTP (p < .01). In addition, there were 572 patients (56.47%) whose satisfaction with pain relief was lower than 70%. More severe BGP was associated with a lower satisfaction degree (r = -0.796, p < .01)., Conclusions: Pain among discharged Chinese patients with cancer is poorly managed, and there is a low degree of satisfaction with pain relief. Nurses can do more work to assist cancer patients in managing pain more effectively by ensuring they have a plan to report and manage pain after discharge., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Opioids are a first-line treatment for severe cancer pain. However, clinicians may be reluctant to prescribe opioids for patients with concurrent substance use disorders (SUD) or clinical concerns about non-prescribed substance use., Measures: Patient volume, 60-day retention rate, and use of sublingual buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder., Intervention: We created the Palliative Harm Reduction and Resiliency Clinic, a palliative care clinic founded on harm reduction principles and including formal collaboration with addiction psychiatry., Outcomes: During the first 18 months, patient volume increased steadily; 70% of patients had at least one subsequent visit within 60 days of the initial appointment; and buprenorphine was prescribed for 55% of patients with opioid use disorder., Conclusions/lessons Learned: The formal collaboration with addiction psychiatry and the integration of harm reduction principles and practices into ambulatory palliative care improved our ability to provide treatment to a previously underserved patient population with high symptom burden., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Cancer pain is one of the most prevalent manageable symptoms in patients with advanced cancer, and it has a negative impact on quality of life (QoL)., Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the correlation between cancer pain and QoL in patients with advanced cancer who are hospitalized in a palliative care unit., Methods: This study is a cross-sectional analysis of patients with advanced cancer who were hospitalized with cancer pain at a specialized palliative care unit between June 2021 and February 2022. Pain intensity and its impact on daily activities were assessed using the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), while the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 15 PAL (QLQ-C15-PAL) was used to evaluate QoL., Results: A total of 104 patients with cancer pain were included, with a mean age of 53.6 years (±14.1). Most of the patients were female (65.38%), and the most common primary tumor site was in the gastrointestinal tract (22.11%). The most frequently reported site of cancer pain was the abdomen (32.69%). The mean duration of cancer pain was 52.3 days (±6.2). The domains of QoL most strongly correlated with cancer pain were weakness (coefficient = .52, P < .001), nausea (coefficient = .36, P < .001), and the physical domain (coefficient = -.30, P < .001)., Conclusion: Cancer pain is strongly correlated with a deterioration in QoL in patients with advanced cancer, and its management should be pursued as a strategy for optimizing QoL., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Introduction: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally, with a five-year survival rate of only 5%., Objectives: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is often fatal because of the lack of specific early symptoms and effective early screening tools. Therefore, 80%-85% of patients are usually diagnosed in the advanced stages. This study aimed to investigate the analgesic effect of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer., Methods: Eighty patients with advanced pancreatic cancer were recruited from the Integrative Medicine Department of our hospital between June 2017 and October 2018 and randomly divided into the experimental group ( n = 40) and the control group ( n = 40). The experimental group received transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation combined with analgesic medication for 3 consecutive days, while the control group received only analgesic medication. The pain scores of the two groups before and after intervention were compared., Results: The mean pain severity score was significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group on day 1 ( P < 0.001), day 2 ( P < 0.001), day 3 ( P = 0.005), and day 4 ( P = 0.043)., Conclusion: Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation therapy effectively alleviates the pain of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer with a high degree of safety and minimal adverse effects, and is worthy of clinical application., (Copyright © 2024 Copyright: © 2024 Journal of Cancer Research and Therapeutics.)

Objectives: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) of "Zusanli" (ST36) and "Sanyinjiao" (SP6) on cancer pain and concomitant negative emotion in cancer pain model mice, and to explore its molecular mechanisms in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) by using transcriptomics techniques., Methods: C57BL/6 mice were randomized into sham operation, model and EA groups, with 10 mice in each group. The cancer pain model was established by injecting PBS suspension containing Lewis lung cancer cells into the femur. The mice in the EA group received EA stimulation(1 mA, 2 Hz) on ST36 and SP6 from the 10 th day after modeling, 20 min per day for 12 successive days. The bone damage of the distal femur was observed with X-ray and H.E. staining, respectively. The mechanical pain threshold (MPT) was detected by using von Frey. The depression-like behavior was detected by using sucrose-preference test (sucrose preference index in 12 h), and the immobility (feeling of despair) duration of forced swimming within 4 min. The BLA tissue was extracted for RNA sequencing (RNA library construction, and screening differential gene profiling by transcriptomic sequencing) and bioinformatics analysis. The real-time PCR was used to validate the mRNA expression of differentially expressed genes：tumor necrosis factor superfamily 8 (Tnfsf8), bone marrow stromal cell antigen 1 (Bst1), prodynorphin (Pdyn) and voltage-gated sodium channelβ4 (Scn4b)., Results: H.E. staining and X-ray showed significant bone damage in the distal femur in cancer pain mice. In contrast to the sham operation group, the MPT on the 1 st , 4 th , 7 th , 10 th , 14 th and 21 st day after modeling and sucrose preference index were significantly decreased ( P <0.001, P <0.000 1), and the immobility time of the forced swimming was considerably increased in the model group ( P <0.001). In contrast to the model group, the MPT values on the 14 th and 21 st day and sucrose preference index were obviously increased ( P <0.000 1, P <0.05), and the immobility time was strikingly decreased in the EA group ( P <0.01). RNA sequencing showed that a total of 404 differentially expressed genes (205 up-regulated, 199 down-regulated) were screened in the model group compared with the sham operation group, and a total of 329 differentially expressed genes (206 up-regulated and 123 down-regulated) were screened in the EA group compared with the model group. Venn diagram analysis of the differentially expressed genes showed that 45 up-regulated and 28 down-regulated genes in the model group were completely reversed by EA. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses of the screened differentially expressed genes revealed that the above differential genes were mainly enriched in the ligand receptor activity, cytokine receptor binding, and cytokine activity related to neuro-inflammation, as well as in neuropeptide signaling pathways related to neuronal excitability, and calcium ion mediated signal transduction. The analysis of KEGG pathway showed that the differentially expressed genes were mainly enriched in the inflammation-related pathways, such as interleukin-17 pathway. Validation analysis of the differentially expressed genes showed that the expression levels of Tnfsf8 and Bst1 were significantly up-regulated in the model group compared with the sham operation group ( P <0.01, P <0.05), and down-regulated by EA ( P <0.01, P <0.05), while the expression levels of Pdyn and Scn4b were down-regulated in the model group in comparison with the sham operation group ( P <0.01), and up-regulated by EA ( P <0.05, P <0.01), which was consistent with the changing trend of the gene sequencing results., Conclusions: Acupuncture of ST36 and SP6 can significantly relieve cancer pain and concomitant negative emotion in cancer pain mice, which may be related to its functions in alleviating neuro-inflammation and relieving the abnormal activities of specific neurons in the BLA.

Purpose: Neurosurgical ablative procedures, such as cordotomy and cingulotomy, are often considered irreversible and destructive but can provide an effective and individualized solution for cancer-related refractory pain, when all other approaches have been unsuccessful. This paper provides an in-depth exploration of a novel approach to managing refractory cancer pain. It involves an interdisciplinary team led by a neurosurgeon at a renowned national referral center., Methods: a retrospective analysis of the medical records of all sequential patients who underwent their initial evaluation at our interdisciplinary refractory cancer pain clinic from February 2017 to January 2023., Results: A total of 207 patients were examined in the clinic for a first visit during the study period. All patients were referred to the clinic due to severe pain that was deemed refractory by the referring physician. The mean age was 61 ± 12.3 years, with no significant sex difference (P = 0.58). The mean ECOG Performance Status score was 2.35. Conservative measures had not yet been exhausted in 28 patients (14%) and 9 patients were well controlled (4%). Neurosurgical ablative procedures were recommended for 151 (73%) of the patients. Sixty-six patients (32%) eventually underwent the procedure. 91 patients (44%) received a negative recommendation for surgery. Thirty-five patients (17%) were referred for further invasive procedures at the pain clinic., Conclusion: An Interdisciplinary cooperation between palliative care specialists, pain specialists, and neurosurgeons ensures optimal patient selection and provides safe and effective neurosurgery for the treatment of refractory cancer-related pain., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background:  Cancer pain remains highly prevalent and persistent throughout survivorship, and it is crucial to investigate the potential of leveraging the advanced features of mobile health (mHealth) apps to empower individuals to self-manage their pain., Objective:  This review aims to comprehensively understand the acceptability, users' experiences, and effectiveness of mHealth apps in supporting cancer pain self-management., Methods:  We conducted an integrative review following Souza and Whittemore and Knafl's 6 review processes. Literature was searched in PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL Plus with Full Text, PsycINFO, and Embase, from 2013 to 2023. Keywords including "cancer patients," "pain," "self-management," "mHealth applications," and relevant synonyms were used in the search. The Johns Hopkins research evidence appraisal tool was used to evaluate the quality of eligible studies. A narrative synthesis was conducted to analyze the extracted data., Results:  A total of 20 studies were included, with the overall quality rated as high (n=15) to good (n=5). Using mHealth apps to monitor and manage pain was acceptable for most patients with cancer. The internal consistency of the mHealth in measuring pain was 0.96. The reported daily assessment or engagement rate ranged from 61.9% to 76.8%. All mHealth apps were designed for multimodal interventions. Participants generally had positive experiences using pain apps, rating them as enjoyable and user-friendly. In addition, 6 studies reported significant improvements in health outcomes, including enhancement in pain remission (severity and intensity), medication adherence, and a reduced frequency of breakthrough pain. The most frequently highlighted roles of mHealth apps included pain monitoring, tracking, reminders, education facilitation, and support coordination., Conclusions:  mHealth apps are effective and acceptable in supporting pain self-management. They offer a promising multi-model approach for patients to monitor, track, and manage their pain. These findings provide evidence-based insights for leveraging mHealth apps to support cancer pain self-management. More high-quality studies are needed to examine the effectiveness of digital technology-based interventions for cancer pain self-management and to identify the facilitators and barriers to their implementation in real-world practice., (©Weizi Wu, Teresa Graziano, Andrew Salner, Ming-Hui Chen, Michelle P Judge, Xiaomei Cong, Wanli Xu. Originally published in JMIR mHealth and uHealth (https://mhealth.jmir.org), 18.07.2024.)

Background: Hospitalized patients with cancer often experience acute and/or chronic pain. Although virtual reality (VR) has been extensively studied across a wide range of clinical settings, no studies have yet evaluated potential impact on pain management in this patient population., Methods: Prospective randomized controlled trial at an urban academic hospital comparing VR against an active control to mitigate moderate-severe cancer disease and treatment-related pain., Results: A total of 128 adult hospitalized patients with cancer (any tumor type) were randomized to 10 minutes of immersive VR distraction therapy or 10 minutes of two-dimensional guided imagery distraction therapy delivered by handheld tablet. Participants in the two arms were similar in age, sex, race, presence of metastatic disease, concurrent pain specialist consultation, and baseline opioid use. Although both groups experienced improved self-reported pain scores (primary outcome), those randomized to VR experienced significantly greater reduction in pain immediately after intervention compared with active control (p = .03). This difference was sustained for 24 hours as well (p = .004). Within-group analysis showed significant improvement in VR arm of pain bothersomeness (p = .05) and general distress (p = .03) as well., Conclusion: Among hospitalized adult patients with moderate-severe pain related to cancer and cancer therapies, VR provided more nonpharmacologic pain relief than active control and this benefit sustained long after conclusion of the intervention., Plain Language Summary: Virtual reality (VR), a developing technology that immerses the user in new environments, has been shown to improve pain in different patient populations. To test the role of VR in improving pain in hospitalized patients with cancer who report moderate-severe pain, we compared the impact of a 10-minute immersive VR intervention to that of a 10-minute two-dimensional guided imagery experience to improve self-reported pain scores. We found that, although both interventions improved pain, VR did so significantly more. Moreover, participants assigned to VR had sustained improvement in pain 24 hours later., (© 2024 American Cancer Society.)

Purpose: To determine the effect of different combinations of different exercise modalities with different training cycles on the improvement of quality of life and pain symptoms in breast cancer patients., Methods: The databases PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Scopus were searched through a computer network with a search deadline of 23 August 2023. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted data and performed methodological quality assessment of the included literature, and then performed the corresponding statistical analyses and graphing using stata17.0., Results: Thirty-six randomized control trial (RCT) studies involving 3003 participants and seven exercise modalities were included. Most of the exercise modalities improved patients' quality of life compared to usual care, with long-term aerobic combined with resistance exercise [SMD = 0.83,95% CI = 0.34,1.33,p = 0.001] and YOGA [SMD = 0.61,95% CI = 0.06,1.16,p = 0.029] treatments having a significant effect. For pain and fatigue-related outcome indicators, the treatment effect was not significant for all exercise modalities included in the analysis compared to the control group, but tended to be beneficial for patients., Conclusion: Long-term aerobic combined with resistance exercise was the most effective in improving quality of life and fatigue status in breast cancer patients, and aerobic exercise was more effective in improving pain symptoms in breast cancer patients., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Dong et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: Most children and adolescents with cancer experience acute pain, and many experience longer-lasting chronic pain, negatively impacting health-related quality of life and resulting in long-term morbidity. Digital apps can aid in enhancing pain assessment and management by offering children and adolescents with cancer an accessible tool to describe their pain as a multifaceted biopsychosocial construct. Pain Squad is a useable, acceptable, and psychometrically sound multidimensional cancer pain assessment app for children and adolescents with cancer. This project aimed to evaluate the capacity to implement Pain Squad into routine pediatric oncology practice. Method: Nurse champions were asked to prescribe the Pain Squad app to patients over a 6-month implementation period. After the implementation period, we conducted audiorecorded, semistructured interviews with nurse champions to investigate the facilitators and barriers related to nurses' experiences with implementing Pain Squad. Results: The facilitators and barriers to Pain Squad implementation were organized into four overarching Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR)-related themes: (a) characteristics of the Pain Squad app; (b) clinic setting and its context; (c) nurse implementation champions; and (d) the process of implementing Pain Squad into clinical practice. Conclusions: Interviewed nurses believed Pain Squad had the potential to improve child cancer pain care, but barriers to everyday use were evident, described in relation to the internal setting, especially the lack of compatibility between app prescription and current nurse workflows. The use of CFIR to map identified implementation facilitators and barriers can formally support the recognition of factors that may boost the chances of successful uptake., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

People with a substance use disorder (SUD) have shortened lifespans due to complications from their substance use and challenges engaging with traditional health care settings and institutions. This impact on life expectancy is especially prominent in patients with co-occurring SUDs and cancer, and often has a much worse prognosis from the cancer than a similar patient without a SUD. Palliative care teams are experts in serious illness communication and symptom management and have become increasingly embedded in the routine care of patients with cancer. We argue that the skill set of palliative care teams is uniquely suited for addressing the needs of this oft marginalized group. We provide a comprehensive review of tools for addressing these needs, including medications that can both treat pain and opioid use disorder (OUD), and highlight psychosocial approaches to treating patients with OUD and cancer in a way that is respectful and effective. Using a trauma informed framework, we focus on the application of harm reduction principles from addiction medicine and the principles of clear communication, accompaniment, and emotional presence from palliative care to maximize support. We also focus on ways to reduce stigma in the delivery of care, by providing language that reduces barriers and increases patient engagement. Finally, we describe a clinic embedded within our institution's cancer center which aims to serve patients with cancer and SUDs, built on the framework of harm reduction, accompaniment and trauma informed care (TIC). Overall, we aim to provide context for addressing the common challenges that arise with patients with cancer and OUD, including the direct impact of psychosocial stress on substance use and cancer treatment, delays in disease directed treatment that can potentially impact further treatment options and outcomes, challenging pain management due to greater opioid debt, and potential loss of primary coping mechanism through substance use in the face of potential terminal diagnosis.

Objective: Patients with advanced prostate cancer commonly experience psychological issues and have a low quality of life. This study aims to analyse the application of supportive psychotherapy combined with analgesic management on the pain and quality of life of patients with advanced prostate cancer., Methods: Patients with advanced prostate cancer admitted to our hospital from February 2018 to December 2022 were continuously selected as the research objects. In accordance with the different management methods recorded in the medical record system, the patients were divided into a control group (routine nursing + analgesic management) and an observation group (routine nursing + analgesic management + supportive psychotherapy). The Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), State Anxiety Scale (S-AI), Trait Anxiety Scale (T-AI), Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) and 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) scores between the two groups were compared., Results: A total of 125 patients with advanced prostate cancer participated in this study, with 60 patients in the control group and 65 patients in the observation group. No significant difference was found in the scores of the AIS, S-AI, T-AI, NRS and SF-36 of the two groups before management ( p > 0.05). After management, the AIS (4.00 vs. 5.00, p = 0.002), S-AI (38.88 vs. 41.12, p = 0.002), T-AI (39.17 vs. 41.65, p = 0.001) and NRS (3.00 vs. 3.00, p < 0.001) scores of the observation group were lower than those of the control group. However, the SF-36 scores of the observation group were higher than those of the control group in the dimensions of physiological enginery (75.85 vs. 68.75, p < 0.001), physiological function (71.85 vs. 67.75, p = 0.004), body pain (73.15 vs. 69.33, p = 0.006), social function (73.88 vs. 69.85, p = 0.004), emotional function (72.92 vs. 68.98, p = 0.006), mental health (73.52 vs. 69.83, p = 0.008), vitality (72.09 vs. 69.52, p = 0.044) and general health (70.65 vs. 66.23, p = 0.002)., Conclusions: Supportive psychotherapy combined with analgesic management for patients with advanced prostate cancer may help improve the pain, anxiety and quality of sleep and life of patients., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2024 The Author(s).)

Acupuncture treatment is a common intervention for the clinical relief of primary liver cancer (PLC) pain, but there is variability in its efficacy. This review systematically assessed the efficacy and safety of acupuncture treatment for PLC pain by meta-analysis. A total of 17 randomized controlled trial studies involving 1162 patients met the inclusion criteria. This study identified the acupuncture method, treatment duration, and patient age were the main factors affecting the efficacy of acupuncture treatment., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Importance: Undertreated cancer pain is a major public health concern among older adults in rural communities. Interventions to improve pain management among this vulnerable population are needed., Objective: To test the feasibility, acceptability, and changes in pain outcomes from exposure to an adapted intervention, Cancer Health Empowerment for Living without Pain (CA-HELP), to improve patients' communication about pain to their clinicians., Design, Setting, and Participants: Older adults with cancer (aged ≥65 years) who were residing in a noninstitutional rural setting and receiving outpatient care at a rural-based clinic in Tennessee were enrolled in the study, in which everyone received the intervention, in May 2022. All patients were given assessments at baseline and 1 week after intervention. Mean score differences were analyzed using 1-tailed paired sample t tests (α = .05). Data were analyzed in June 2022., Exposure: The adapted version of CA-HELP included an 18-page patient-facing workbook and a 30-minute telephone coaching call with a registered nurse to coach patients on pain education and communication techniques to discuss pain with their medical team., Main Outcomes and Measures: Feasibility was examined through accrual and completion rates. Acceptability was measured by helpfulness, difficulty, and satisfaction with the intervention. Changes in outcomes were measured using mean score differences from pre-post assessments of pain self-management, self-efficacy for communicating with clinicians about pain, patient-reported pain, and misconceptions about pain., Results: Among the 30 total participants, the mean (SD) age was 73.0 (5.1) years; 17 participants (56.7%) were female, 5 (16.7%) were Black or African American, 30 (100%) were non-Hispanic or non-Latino, 24 (80.0%) were White, 16 (53.3%) had less than a high school education, and 15 (50.0%) reported income less than $21 000 per year. Based on accrual and completion rates of 100%, this intervention was highly feasible. Fidelity rates for delivering intervention components (100%) and communication competence (27 participants [90%]) were also high. Regarding acceptability, all patients rated the intervention as helpful, with the majority (24 participants [80%]) rating it as "very helpful." Most patients rated the intervention as "not at all difficult" (27 participants [90%]), enjoyed participating (21 participants [70%]), and reported being "very satisfied" (25 participants [83.3%]). Pre-post changes in outcomes suggested significant improvements in pain self-management and self-efficacy for communicating with clinicians about pain, as well as significant reductions in patient-reported pain and pain misconceptions., Conclusions and Relevance: In this case-series study of CA-HELP, results suggested the adapted version of CA-HELP was feasible and acceptable and showed changes in pain-related outcome measures among older adults with cancer in a rural setting.

Background: Physical pain is highly prevalent and impacts the well-being of patients with advanced oncologic disease. Although myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) can be one of the components of pain in cancer patients on palliative care (PC), so far there is no evidence about the benefit of treatment with 1% lidocaine needling. Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of MPS treatment with injection of 1% lidocaine on the reduction of pain in cancer patients on PC. Design: Single-blind randomized clinical trial. Subjects: Patients aged 50 years or older with end-stage cancer, admitted to a cancer ward or monitored during radiotherapy in three Brazilian hospitals, with a diagnosis of MPS with a pain intensity of five or more according to the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). The patients were divided into two groups: trigger point (TP) injection with 1% lidocaine and control. Measurements: Pain intensity was assessed with the VAS, pain threshold with an algometer, and the medications being used were determined before and 72 hours after the intervention. Results: Thirty patients (15 per group) were assessed. After 72 hours, there was a reduction in referred pain intensity ( p  < 0.001) and an increase in pressure threshold ( p  = 0.007) in the intervention group (IG), with no difference in the control. The frequency of individuals who reduced the doses and/or classes of pain medications was higher in the IG ( p  = 0.011). Conclusion: One percent lidocaine needling in TPs was an effective therapy for pain reduction in MPS.

Objective: Virtual Reality (VR) has been demonstrated to be an effective option for integrating psychological interventions in different therapeutic settings. This randomized controlled interventional study aims to assess the effects of VR, compared to tablet controlled intervention, on anxiety, depression, pain, and short-term psychophysical symptoms in advanced cancer patients assisted at home., Methods: Participants were provided with a VR headset or a tablet (TAB) for 4 days. On the first and last day, anxiety and depression were measured by Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and pain by Brief Pain Inventory. Before and after each VR and tablet session, symptoms were collected by the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS)., Results: Fifty-three patients (27 VR vs. 26 TAB) completed the study. Anxiety significantly decreased in the VR group after the 4-day intervention. The analysis of ESAS showed a significant improvement in pain (p = 0.013), tiredness (p < 0.001), and anxiety (p = 0.013) for TAB group, and a significant reduction in tiredness (p < 0.001) in the VR group., Conclusions: Technological and user-friendly tools, such as VR and tablets, might be integrated with traditional psychological interventions to improve anxiety and cancer-related short-term symptoms. Further studies are needed to better consolidate the possible beneficial effects of VR., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: The authors developed a pain monitoring app offering educational information, and real-time health care professional feedback on clinically significant pain (>4 numeric rating scale [NRS]-11) for children with cancer to reduce pain at home., Methods: This monocenter, nonblinded randomized controlled trial enrolled Dutch children (0-18 years old) receiving cancer treatment (≥3 months after diagnosis, ≥2 months treatment remaining). Children were randomly assigned to use the app or receive usual care (two parallel groups). We assessed whether use of the app yielded less clinically significant pain (aim 1) and whether it affected pain severity, duration, interference, pain management strategies, and parental emotional well-being (aim 2). The app was also evaluated by families (aim 3)., Results: A total of 94 children were randomized to use the app (15 drop-outs), and 90 were to receive care as usual (11 drop-outs). The app group (n = 79, mean age: 7.5 [5.1] years, 48% girls, 63% hemato-oncology diagnosis) reported significantly less clinically significant pain compared to usual care (n = 79, mean age: 7.5 [5.4] years, 52% girls, 65% hemato-oncology diagnosis) (odds ratio [OR], 0.38; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.198-0.734]) (aim 1), as well as significantly lower pain severity (β = -0.27; 95% CI, -0.407 to -0.142). No differences were found for duration, interference, or management strategies. Parents in the app group reported significantly less distress compared to usual care (β = -0.84; 95% CI, -1.61 to -0.03]) (aim 2). Families generally evaluated the app positively (aim 3)., Conclusions: Use of the app resulted in less clinically significant pain at home. The exact working mechanisms of the app should be further elucidated., (© 2023 The Authors. Cancer published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Cancer Society.)

Breast cancer patients experience treatment-related pain from surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and long-term hormonal treatment, which can lead to poorer outcomes. Patient and family caregivers' psychosocial distress exacerbates patient pain interference, but this has not been directly examined among breast cancer patients in dyadic models longitudinally. Guided by a biopsychosocial framework, the Biobehavioral Family Model, we explore how multiple reports of patient pain interference across the first year of treatment are linked to the patient (N = 55) and caregiver (N = 55) pretreatment psychosocial distress (eg, depression, anxiety, marital satisfaction, family relationship quality). Specifically, we find that breast cancer patients' pain interference increases and then decreases over the first year of treatment. Additionally, caregivers' pretreatment anxiety was associated with increased patient pain interference over time (B = .19, SE = .07, P = .008), while patients' pretreatment psychosocial distress was not associated with a change in their pain interference. Yet, looking at clinically specific times during the first year of treatment, we find that caregiver-reported higher marital satisfaction is associated with lower patient-reported pain interference later in treatment (6 months: B = -.58, SE = .24, P = .017; 12 months: B = -.82, SE = .23, P < .001). We conclude that, per the Biobehavioral Family Model, pretreatment patient and caregiver psychosocial distress is linked to patient pain interference during the first year of breast cancer treatment. Thus, caregivers' psychosocial distress (ie, anxiety and marital satisfaction) may be a particularly important target in future dyadic behavioral intervention strategies to reduce breast cancer patient pain. PERSPECTIVE: This article presents the link between breast cancer patients and family caregiver pretreatment psychosocial distress (anxiety, depression, marital satisfaction, and family quality) on patient pain interference during 1 year of breast cancer treatment. Findings suggest that caregiver anxiety and marital satisfaction may be important targets for future dyadic behavioral pain interventions., (Copyright © 2024 United States Association for the Study of Pain, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The management of multimorphic cancer pain is a major supportive care in oncology, for which many national and international recommendations have recently been updated. Any cancer patient must benefit from access to supportive care from the diagnosis, throughout the entire care pathway. Chronic renal failure, from any etiology, requires special attention and constant attention to details from interdisciplinary caregivers' teams to propose the best analgesic therapeutic strategy, combining complementary and interventional approaches to treatments. Analgesic therapies, in particular opioids and antineuropathics, require specific precautions. A therapeutic alliance integrating clinical pharmacy as a supportive care in its own right, is a major asset allowing the optimization and securing of analgesic drug treatments, conditioning both their efficacy, their tolerance and therapeutic observance, in the goal of improving the patient's quality of life., (Copyright © 2023 Société Française du Cancer. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Background: Persistent visceral pain is an unpleasant sensation coming from one or more organs within the body. Visceral pain is a common symptom in those with advanced cancer. Interventional procedures, such as neurolytic sympathetic nerve blocks, have been suggested as additional treatments that may play a part in optimising pain management for individuals with this condition., Objectives: To evaluate the benefits and harms of neurolytic sympathetic nerve blocks for persistent visceral pain in adults with inoperable abdominopelvic cancer compared to standard care or placebo and comparing single blocks to combination blocks., Search Methods: We searched the following databases without language restrictions on 19 October 2022 and ran a top-up search on 31 October 2023: CENTRAL; MEDLINE via Ovid; Embase via Ovid; LILACS. We searched trial registers without language restrictions on 2 November 2022: ClinicalTrials.gov; WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP). We searched grey literature, checked reference lists of reviews and retrieved articles for additional studies, and performed citation searches on key articles. We also contacted experts in the field for unpublished and ongoing trials. Our trial protocol was preregistered in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews on 21 October 2022., Selection Criteria: We searched for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing any sympathetic nerve block targeting sites commonly used to treat abdominal pelvic pain from inoperable malignancies in adults to standard care or placebo., Data Collection and Analysis: We independently selected trials based on predefined inclusion criteria, resolving any differences via adjudication with a third review author. We used a random-effects model as some heterogeneity was expected between the studies due to differences in the interventions being assessed and malignancy types included in the study population. We chose three primary outcomes and four secondary outcomes of interest. We sought consumer input to refine our review outcomes and assessed extracted data using Cochrane's risk of bias 2 tool (RoB 2). We assessed the certainty of evidence using the GRADE system., Main Results: We included 17 studies with 1025 participants in this review. Fifteen studies with a total of 951 participants contributed to the quantitative analysis. Single block versus standard care Primary outcomes No included studies reported our primary outcome, 'Proportion of participants reporting no worse than mild pain after treatment at 14 days'. The evidence is very uncertain about the effect of sympathetic nerve blocks on reducing pain to no worse than mild pain at 14 days when compared to standard care due to insufficient data (very low-certainty evidence). Sympathetic nerve blocks may provide small to 'little to no' improvement in quality of life (QOL) scores at 14 days after treatment when compared to standard care, but the evidence is very uncertain (standardised mean difference (SMD) -0.73, 95% confidence interval (CI) -1.70 to 0.25; I² = 87%; 4 studies, 150 participants; very low-certainty evidence). The evidence is very uncertain about the risk of serious adverse events as defined in our review as only one study contributed data to this outcome. Sympathetic nerve blocks may have an 'increased risk' to 'no additional risk' of harm compared with standard care (very low-certainty evidence). Secondary outcomes Sympathetic nerve blocks showed a small to 'little to no' effect on participant-reported pain scores at 14 days using a 0 to 10 visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain compared with standard care, but the evidence is very uncertain (mean difference (MD) -0.44, 95% CI -0.98 to 0.11; I² = 56%; 5 studies, 214 participants; very low-certainty evidence). There may be a 'moderate to large' to 'little to no' reduction in daily consumption of opioids postprocedure at 14 days with sympathetic nerve blocks compared with standard care, but the evidence is very uncertain (change in daily consumption of opioids at 14 days as oral milligrams morphine equivalent (MME): MD -41.63 mg, 95% CI -78.54 mg to -4.72 mg; I² = 90%; 4 studies, 130 participants; very low-certainty evidence). The evidence is very uncertain about the effect of sympathetic nerve blocks on participant satisfaction with procedure at 0 to 7 days and time to need for retreatment or treatment effect failure (or both) due to insufficient data. Combination block versus single block Primary outcomes There is no evidence about the effect of combination sympathetic nerve blocks compared with single sympathetic nerve blocks on the proportion of participants reporting no worse than mild pain after treatment at 14 days because no studies reported this outcome. There may be a small to 'little to no' effect on QOL score at 14 days after treatment, but the evidence is very uncertain (very low-certainty evidence). The evidence is very uncertain about the risk of serious adverse events with combination sympathetic nerve blocks compared with single sympathetic nerve blocks due to limited reporting in the included studies (very low-certainty evidence). Secondary outcomes The evidence is very uncertain about the effect of combination sympathetic nerve blocks compared with single sympathetic nerve blocks on participant-reported pain score and change in daily consumption of opioids postprocedure, at 14 days. There may be a small to 'little to no' effect, but the evidence is very uncertain (very low-certainty evidence). There is no evidence about the effect on participant satisfaction with procedure at 0 to 7 days and time to need for retreatment or treatment effect failure (or both) due to these outcomes not being measured by the studies. Risk of bias The risk of bias was predominately high for most outcomes in most studies due to significant concerns regarding adequate blinding. Very few studies were deemed as low risk across all domains for any outcome., Authors' Conclusions: There is limited evidence to support or refute the use of sympathetic nerve blocks for persistent abdominopelvic pain due to inoperable malignancy. We are very uncertain about the effect of combination sympathetic nerve blocks compared with single sympathetic nerve blocks. The certainty of the evidence is very low and these findings should be interpreted with caution., (Copyright © 2024 The Cochrane Collaboration. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Introduction: Cancer-related pain is ubiquitous. Targeted procedural interventions may be an important and underutilized method for improving cancer-related pain and quality of life. The goal of this study was to determine the baseline educational experience and perceived post-graduation comfort of Pain Medicine fellows in performing procedures that can be used for cancer-related pain., Methods: Using Qualtrics, a 16-question survey was distributed to graduating fellows at accredited Pain Medicine Fellowship programs in the USA in June 2022. The fellows' experience and comfort level performing eight procedures was analyzed using summary descriptive statistics and contingency table analysis with statistical significance determined by Pearson's χ 2 test., Results: Survey respondents represented 30% of fellows among 44% of Pain Medicine programs during the 2021-2022 academic year. The majority of respondents reported no experience performing 7 of the 8 procedures for cancer-related pain (56.1%-90.6%). Graduating fellows reported overall comfort performing sympathetic neurolysis (65.7%), spinal cord stimulator trials (85.7%) and implantations (66.0%), but not intrathecal pump trials (36.9%) and implantations (31.3%), peripheral nerve stimulator implantations (41.7%), vertebral augmentations (31.3%), and vertebral body radiofrequency ablations (16.7%)., Conclusions: Experience performing 10 or more of the surveyed procedures, personal interest in treating cancer-related pain, and attendance of cancer-related pain lectures were found to significantly increase comfortability in performing cancer-related pain procedures post graduation, whereas cadaver-based learning did not. This study highlights the need for more robust procedural education for cancer-related pain and identifies procedural experience in non-cancer patients and lectures on cancer-related pain as ways to bridge this educational gap., Competing Interests: Competing interests: SC serves on the Executive Committee for the Pacific Spine and Pain Society. This relationship has been reviewed and managed by Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). AW, MTeramoto, and MThapliyal do not have any competing interest to disclose., (© American Society of Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. Published by BMJ.)

Aim: Despite the growing evidence supporting the use of peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) for cancer pain in adults, it is underutilized in the pediatric oncology population. Method: We describe the use of temporary, percutaneous PNS for pain management in pediatric patients suffering from cancer related pain. Results: Two adolescent patients underwent an ultrasound-guided suprascapular nerve PNS placement utilizing the percutaneous 60-day therapy system. Both patients reported approximately 60% pain relief during the therapy, as well as up to 90 days post lead removal. Conclusion: PNS may play a crucial role in the pediatric oncology population. Further studies are warranted to investigate the efficacy and safety of PNS for various cancer-related pain conditions in pediatric populations.

Pain management constitutes a pivotal aspect of palliative care. Certain instances of distressing pain are significantly relieved through interventional pain methodologies, demanding the expertise of pain specialists. Our perspective revolves around the integration of these 2 facets, envisaging a symbiotic relationship that could enhance patient outcomes. A prospective assessment was carried out within a collaborative clinic, uniting the realms of pain management and palliative medicine. Anonymized patient information was scrutinized to grasp the advantages of this amalgamation and identify strategies to address any inherent deficiencies. Furthermore, an illustrative case study was delineated, spotlighting the collaborative dynamics at a systemic level. During the period spanning from November 2020 to June 2021, a total of 43 patients received consultations at this collaborative clinic. Each patient was exposed to a comprehensive pain management regimen, with the most frequently conducted procedure being an intercostal nerve block, which was administered in 9.30% of cases. For the provision of effective pain relief within the palliative care context, the confluence of joint consultations from cancer pain specialists emerges as a requisite measure. This approach carries the promise of optimizing pain control and augmenting the quality of palliative care.

Purpose of Review: The goal of this review is to summarize updates to the broad array of complementary therapies available for cancer pain. This paper will serve as a reference for clinicians managing pain in cancer patients., Recent Findings: Patients are embracing integrative therapies in growing numbers; clinicians must be prepared to incorporate these therapies into patients' existing treatment regimens. This requires knowledge regarding risks, benefits, and potential interactions with existing cancer therapies. Integrative cancer pain management strategies have shown promise, with several proven effective for the management of cancer pain. Energy therapies, including acupuncture, and biologicals and nutraceuticals including overall diet and vitamin D, have the highest level of evidence for efficacy. The remaining therapies discussed in this chapter may be beneficial for patients on a case-by-case basis; risks and benefits of each individual therapy as described in the text must be further assessed in future rigorous trials to further clarify the role of these complementary therapies in cancer pain management., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Effective cancer pain management is essential for improving the quality of life of patients. However, the use of analgesics is often suboptimal due to various patient-related barriers. This study aims to explore the perceptions, knowledge, and attitudes toward analgesic use among cancer patients in Oman, which may influence their pain management strategies., Methods: In a cross-sectional study, we assessed 68 cancer patients undergoing pain management at an inpatient cancer clinic of a tertiary hospital in Oman from a pool of 154 eligible participants. The Barriers Questionnaire (BQ) and the Patient Pain Questionnaire (PPQ), both Arabic versions, were administered to evaluate the patients' barriers to cancer pain management. The study period and the criteria for patient selection are specified., Results: With a participation rate of 44.2% and a female-to-male ratio of 2.28:1, the mean score on the BQ was 2.52 (SD 0.84), indicating a moderate level of perceived barriers. Patients' scores suggested notable barriers, with older patients exhibiting reluctance toward analgesics for fear of masking symptoms and female patients expressing greater concerns about developing drug tolerance., Conclusion: The findings highlight significant attitudinal barriers to effective cancer pain management in Oman, notably a prevalent fear of medication tolerance. The study stresses on the need for targeted patient education and the correction of misconceptions. It also points to the influence of cultural and religious beliefs on patient responses, advocating for the implementation of culturally sensitive, evidence-based pain management guidelines, and the support of multidisciplinary palliative care teams.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to gain qualitative insight into cancer patients' experiences, explanations, and management strategies regarding their cancer-related pain (CP)., Methods: Seventeen patients with CP were interviewed using a semi-structured interview approach. Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis method was used to analyze the transcribed interviews. The patients all participated in cancer rehabilitation courses arranged by the research clinic at The Danish Knowledge Centre for Rehabilitation and Palliative Care., Results: Three themes were identified: (1) Explaining CP: Patients found it difficult to explain how they experienced their pain. They lacked words, and they frequently used invasive metaphors such as " Pain feels like a heart attack" (2). Strategies and barriers to the management of CP : Initiatives provided by healthcare professionals (HCPs) were perceived as insufficient, and the patients missed guidance in both pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches to pain management. Several saw medicine as unnatural for their body, and they focused on side effects and the medicine affecting their quality of life. (3) Responsibility for managing CP: A lack of responsiveness from the HCPs and taking on responsibility for pain management were experienced by several of the patients. The patients expressed uncertainty about whom to contact for help with the management of their CP., Conclusion: The patients' difficulties in explaining, understanding, and communicating their pain and pain management contributed to insufficient pain management. They were also uncertain about who had the responsibility to help them to achieve pain relief. These results share the evidence drawn from studies on patients with chronic non-cancer pain. This qualitative study highlights the need for having more focus on a common language and shared understanding between patients and HCPs. It also underpins the importance of HCPs to assume their responsibility to help patients manage their pain conditions., (© 2024 the author(s), published by De Gruyter.)

Background: Complementary and alternative medicine encompasses various nonpharmacologic interventions for managing pain, such as acupuncture and music therapy. Few studies have combined these two interventions in the management of cancer-related pain., Objectives: The purpose of this evidence-based project was to compare acupuncture-only therapy versus dual therapy (acupuncture and music therapy) on pain intensity scores in patients with cancer., Methods: This evidence-based project included 102 participants at a private acupuncture practice. One group had acupuncture only for six weeks, and another had six weeks of acupuncture and music therapy. The Numeric Pain Rating Scale was used to assess pain before and after the interventions., Findings: Findings showed that both groups had clinically and statistically significant improvements in pain intensity scores. Although a significant difference was not noted between the two groups, acupuncture and music therapy were each found to be effective for managing cancer-related pain.

Background and Objective: The World Health Organization endorses that palliative care has a significant impact on the outcomes of patients with cancer. Integration of palliative care into standard oncology practice has been shown to improve a variety of patient outcomes. In this article, we present our experience with the development of a palliative care tumor board., Methods: Starting in June 2021, we implemented a multidisciplinary palliative care and oncology tumor board focused on pain and symptom management. Complex cases were presented bimonthly. We retrospectively reviewed our experience. Data were collected on the attendees, the case presented, and the resultant therapeutic decisions made., Key Content and Findings: Between June 2021 and September 2022, tumor board meetings were conducted in person and virtually. An average of twelve people attended, including physicians and nurse practitioners from the palliative care, oncology, interventional radiology, radiation oncology, psychiatry, pediatric palliative care, and physical medicine and rehab disciplines. There were 68 patients presented with the most frequently discussed cancer being breast cancer, followed by lung cancer. A total of 18 patients (26%) were referred for procedure, including 7 patients (10%) for radiation and 11 patients (16%) for interventional procedures, and 34 patients (50%) had medication changes as outcomes of the meeting., Conclusions: The development of a biweekly palliative care conference modeled after traditional oncologic tumor board meetings allows patients to be discussed in a multidisciplinary setting and commonly results in changes in the management for pain and other cancer-related symptoms.

Dealing efficiently with patients suffering from pain is a central medical task. Pain, as an important function in developmental physiology, warns against damage to the body caused by external noxious agents as well as internal malfunctions and requires special attention in modern medicine. Peri- and postoperative pain is known to have a negative influence on postoperative convalescence. Treatment of tumor-related pain represents another relevant challenge in uro-oncology and palliative medicine. The updated guideline on perioperative pain therapy and palliative medicine for patients with incurable diseases or cancer is dedicated to these two topics., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Medizin Verlag GmbH, ein Teil von Springer Nature.)