Journal of Pain and Symptom Management
Volume 38, Issue 4 , Pages 554-560 , October 2009

Breakthrough Pain in Advanced Cancer Patients Followed at Home: A Longitudinal Study

  • Sebastiano Mercadante, MD

      Affiliations

    • Pain Relief and Palliative Care Unit, La Maddalena Cancer Center, Palermo, Italy
    • Palliative Medicine, Department of Anesthesia & Intensive Care, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress correspondence to: Sebastiano Mercadante, MD, Pain Relief and Palliative Care Unit, La Maddalena Cancer Center, Via San Lorenzo 312, 90146 Palermo, Italy.
    • ,
  • Benedetta Veruska Costanzo, MD

      Affiliations

    • Home Care Program, SAMO, Catania, Italy
    • ,
  • Flavio Fusco, MD

      Affiliations

    • Home Care Program, ASL-3, Genoa, Italy
    • ,
  • Valeria Buttà, MD

      Affiliations

    • Home Care Program, SAMO, Catania, Italy
    • ,
  • Valentina Vitrano, RS

      Affiliations

    • Pain Relief and Palliative Care Unit, La Maddalena Cancer Center, Palermo, Italy
    • ,
  • Alessandra Casuccio, BS

      Affiliations

    • Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy

,Accepted 2 January 2009.

References 

  1. Portenoy RK, Hagen NA. Breakthrough pain: definition, prevalence, and characteristics. Pain. 1990;41:273–281
  2. Mercadante S, Radbruch L, Caraceni A, et al. Episodic (breakthrough) pain. Cancer. 2002;94:832–839
  3. Swanwick M, Haworth M, Lennard RF. The aprevalence of episodic pain in cancer: a survey of hospice patients on admission. Palliat Med. 2001;15:9–18
  4. Zeppetella G, O'Doherty CA, Collins S. Prevalence and characteristics of breakthrough pain in cancer patients admitted to a hospice. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2000;20:87–92
  5. Fine PG, Busch MA. Characterization of breakthrough pain by hospice patients and their caregivers. J Pain Symptom Manage. 1998;16:179–183
  6. Gómez-Batiste X, Madrid F, Moreno F, et al. Breakthrough cancer pain: prevalence and characteristics in patients in Catalonia, Spain. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2002;24(1):45–52
  7. Portenoy RK, Payne D, Jacobsen P. Breakthrough pain: characteristics and impact in patients with cancer pain. Pain. 1999;81:129–134
  8. Petzke F, Radbruch L, Zech D, Loick G, Grond S. Temporal presentation of chronic cancer pain: transitory pains on admission to a multidisciplinary pain clinic. J Pain Symptom Manage. 1999;17:391–401
  9. Hwang SS, Chang VT, Kasimis B. Cancer breakthrough pain characteristics and responses to treatment at a VA medical center. Pain. 2003;101:55–64
  10. Caraceni A, Martini C, Zecca E, et al. Working Group of an IASP Task Force on Cancer Pain Breakthrough pain characteristics and syndromes in patients with cancer pain. An international survey. Palliat Med. 2004;18:177–183
  11. Costantini M, Toscani F, Gallucci M, et al. Terminal cancer patients and timing of referral to palliative care: a multicenter prospective cohort study. Italian Cooperative Research Group on Palliative Medicine. J Pain Symptom Manage. 1999;18:243–252
  12. Jordhoy MS, Kaasa S, Fayers P, et al. Challenge in palliative care research; recruitment, attrition and complications: experience from a randomized controlled trial. Palliat Med. 1999;13:299–310
  13. Mercadante S, Villari P, Ferrera P, Casuccio A. Optimization of opioid therapy for preventing incident pain associated with bone metastases. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2004;28:505–510

PII: S0885-3924(09)00627-7

doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2008.12.008

Journal of Pain and Symptom Management
Volume 38, Issue 4 , Pages 554-560 , October 2009

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