Comprehensive assessment of pain characteristics, quality of life, and pain management in cancer patients: a multi-center cross-sectional study

• Published in: Quality of life research 2024-10, Vol.33 (10), p.2755-2771
• Main Authors: Shrestha, Sunil, Sapkota, Simit, Teoh, Siew Li, KC, Bhuvan, Paudyal, Vibhu, Lee, Shaun Wen Huey, Gan, Siew Hua
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Cancer; Cancer Pain - drug therapy; Cancer Pain - psychology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Male; Medical diagnosis; Medication Adherence - statistics & numerical data; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Neoplasms - complications; Neoplasms - psychology; Nepal; Pain Management; Pain Measurement; Patient compliance; Public Health; Quality of Life; Quality of Life Research; Questionnaires; Sociology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Well being
• ISSN: 0962-9343; 1573-2649; 1573-2649
• DOI: 10.1007/s11136-024-03725-w

Introduction Pain is the most common complaint among cancer patients, significantly impairing their health-related quality of life (HRQOL). There is limited evidence on the characteristics of pain among cancer patients in Nepal with low-resource settings. Objectives The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics of pain, factors influencing pain intensity, and the association of pain severity with quality of life (QoL) among cancer patients. Secondary objectives included investigating perceived barriers to pain management and medication adherence among these patients. Methods This multi-center, cross-sectional study enrolled adult patients (over 18 years old) with reported cancer diagnoses experiencing pain. Socio-demographic characteristics (e.g., age, gender, educational status), clinical characteristics (e.g. cancer diagnosis, staging), and pain characteristics (e.g., duration, type, location, medicines used for pain management, etc.) were recorded. Outcomes were assessed using the Numeric rating scale (NRS), Pain management Index, European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire, Barriers Questionnaire II, Medication Adherence Rating Scale, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Results Four hundred and eight patients participated in the study. The mean ± SD age was 54.87 ± 15.65, with 226 patients (55.4%) being female. The most common cancer diagnoses were cervical (17.6%), lung (11.8%), and colon/rectum (12.0%) cancers. The most common pain locations were the head and neck (27.0%); a majority (55.6%) reported pain duration of more than 3 months. Nociceptive pain was reported by 42.4% of patients; the mean ± SD of NRS was 4.31 ± 2.69, with 32.4% of patients experiencing moderate pain. Patients with mixed pain type (B = 1.458, p