Journal of Pain & Relief
Open Access

Abstract

Neuropathic pain is prevalent in many cancer patients. Clinicians have found treating neuropathic pain challenging especially with minimal research specifically evaluating treatment of neuropathic pain in cancer patients. This retrospective chart analysis was done to see which therapeutic options were most effective in treating neuropathic pain in cancer patients within a 72-hour period from the beginning of the intervention. A retrospective chart analysis was done using the hospital database of pain management consults. It was determined that the pain was neuropathic in nature. Follow up consults were reviewed to determine if the patient felt their pain was alleviated and what medications were used. Of the 495 patient databases, 42 patients were found to have neuropathic pain. Thirty-eight percent required only opioids for neuropathic pain related to a cancer diagnosis, while more than half of the patients required both opioids and neurotransmitter modulators. In cancer patients who had neuropathic pain resistant to opioids such as morphine or hydromorphone, methadone was useful. As the literature has supported, this chart analysis found the best single agent treatment option for neuropathic cancer pain was an opioid. There was variability in the approach used for pain control, but using both neurotransmitter modulators and opioids combined was superior. This is unique to neuropathic pain related to cancer given that neuropathic pain secondary to other etiologies responds more effectively to neurotransmitter modulators and are less responsive to opioids. To achieve effective pain control there may be utility in creating an algorithmic approach specific to neuropathic cancer pain.

Biography

Email: axm309@jefferson.edu