ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:
To evaluate the prevalence and factors associated with neuropathic pain in cancer patients
METHODS:
A prospective cross-sectional study conducted from August 2016 to July 2017, with 267 cancer patients above 18 years of age, with pain. Diabetic patients and patients with previous chronic pain unrelated to the current neoplasia were excluded. The demographic and disease information was obtained from the medical records and directly with the patient. The Douleur Neuropathique en 4 questions questionnaire and the numeric pain scale were later applied.
RESULTS:
The prevalence of neuropathic pain in the study population was 53%. The average age of patients was 55.3 years. Of the 267 patients, 76% were female. There was no significant difference in the occurrence of neuropathic pain among gender, age, histological type of cancer and type of treatment. Of the patients, 35.5% who underwent chemotherapy had neuropathic pain, and there was no statistical difference between the types of chemotherapy performed. Twenty-four patients who reported pain at the radiotherapy site were diagnosed with neuropathic pain. Of the total, 63 patients who reported pain at the surgical site, 36 were classified with neuropathic pain. An increasing trend of neuropathic pain was observed when treatments were associated. The intensity of this pain was reported as moderate to severe by the majority of patients in the various types of treatment: chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery.
CONCLUSION:
When compared to other studies, a high prevalence of neuropathic pain was observed in more than half of the patients evaluated.
Keywords:
Chemotherapy; Douleur Neuropathique en 4 questions; Neuropathic pain; Oncologic pain; Pain