• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• 제41권1호
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• pp.22-29
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• 2024

Breakthrough pain is transitory pain that occurs despite the use of opioids for background pain control. Breakthrough pain occurs in 40% to 80% of patients with cancer pain. Despite effective analgesic therapy, patients and their caregivers often feel that their pain is not sufficiently controlled. Therefore, an improved understanding of breakthrough pain and its management is essential for all physicians caring for patients with cancer. This article reviews the definition, clinical manifestations, accurate diagnostic strategies, and optimal treatment options for breakthrough pain in patients with cancer. This review focuses on the efficacy and safety of rapid-onset opioids, which are the primary rescue drugs for breakthrough pain.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제26권3호
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• pp.223-241
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• 2013

Boney metastasis may lead to terrible suffering from debilitating pain. The most likely malignancies that spread to bone are prostate, breast, and lung. Painful osseous metastases are typically associated with multiple episodes of breakthrough pain which may occur with activities of daily living, weight bearing, lifting, coughing, and sneezing. Almost half of these breakthrough pain episodes are rapid in onset and short in duration and 44% of episodes are unpredictable. Treatment strategies include: analgesic approaches with "triple opioid therapy", bisphosphonates, chemotherapeutic agents, hormonal therapy, interventional and surgical approaches, steroids, radiation (external beam radiation, radiopharmaceuticals), ablative techniques (radiofrequency ablation, cryoablation), and intrathecal analgesics.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• 제18권1호
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• pp.1-8
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• 2015

돌발성 암성 통증은 상대적으로 기저 통증이 규칙적인 진통제 사용으로 잘 조절됨에도 발생하는 일시적인 통증의 악화이다. 돌발성 통증은 암성 통증을 가진 환자에게서 매우 흔하여, 전체적으로 70~90%의 유병률을 보인다. 이는 삶의 질에 부정적인 영향을 끼치는데, 일상 생활 능력의 감소나, 사회적인 관계성 저하를 비롯하여 우울과 불안의 유병률이 높아진다. 게다가 가족과 사회, 건강 보험 재정에도 큰 부담을 준다. 돌발성 통증은 병태학적 기전에 따라 특발성(또는 자발성) 통증과 사건 통증으로 나눌 수가 있다. 각각의 돌발성 통증 삽화는 전형적인 특징을 보이는데 5~10분 이내에 통증이 최대가 되며, 심한 통증 강도, 30-60분 이내에 소실되는 짧은 지속시간 등이 있다. 그러나 지속시간과 통증의 강도에는 환자마다, 같은 환자라도 다소 차이가 있을 수 있다. 그러므로 매 통증마다 철저한 평가가 필요하고, 치료 계획은 최적의 치료를 위해 개별화가 되야 한다. 옥시코돈, 모르핀, 하이드로모르폰과 같은 여러 속효성 경구 제제들이 상대적으로 느린 진통 효과에도 불구하고 널리 사용되어 왔다. 점막 흡수형 펜타닐 제제는 경구 마약성 진통제의 이런 한계를 극복하기 위해 개발되었다. 여러 연구에서도 점막 흡수형 펜타닐 제제가 돌발성 통증 조절에 좀 더 빠른 효과를 보이는 것으로 보고하고 있다. 저자들은 각각의 환자와 통증삽화에 따른 좀 더 효율적인 진통제를 사용함으로 돌발성 통증 조절이 개선되기를 기대한다. 그리고 한국인들을 대상으로 각각의 마약성 진통제의 효과와 비용 대비 효율성을 평가하는 추가 연구가 필요할 것으로 생각한다.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• 제20권1호
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• pp.18-25
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• 2017

목적: 돌발성 통증을 적절히 조절하는 것은 암환자에서 필수적이다. 돌발성 통증을 조절하는 것은 의료진이 돌발성 통증에 대해 잘 이해하고 적절한 구제 진통제를 사용하는 것에 달려있다. 본 연구는 한국 완화의료 전문의들의 돌발성 통증에 대한 견해와 진료 형태에 대해 알아보고자 하였다. 방법: 본 연구는 한국호스피스 완화의료학회에서 시행된 2014년 돌발성 통증 설문조사를 바탕으로 진행하였다. 100명의 의사가 온라인 설문조사에 참여하였다. 총 33개의 자가 기입식 설문 문항 중에서 12개의 항목이 분석에 사용되었다. 결과: 빠른 작용 발현은 구제 진통제를 선택함에 있어 가장 중요한 요소였다. 경구 옥시코돈(65%)과 모르핀 주사제(27%)는 흔히 사용되는 구제진통제였다. 소수의 의사들(3%)만이 점막 흡수형 펜타닐을 선호하였다. 빠른 작용 발현 때문에 경구 옥시코돈을 선택한다고 답변한 의사들은 21.5%였으며, 반면에 빠른 작용 발현 때문에 모르핀 주사제를 처방한 의사들은 81.5%였다. 전체 응답자의 약 66%는 돌발성 통증이 구제 진통제로 잘 조절되지 않는다고 답변했다. 결론: 돌발성 통증 조절에 의료진들은 어려움을 느끼고 있었고, 의료진들이 구제진통제를 선택함에 있어서 필요로 하는 중요한 요소와 실제 처방의 형태에는 차이가 있었다.

• 한국임상약학회지
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• 제33권1호
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• pp.43-50
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• 2023

Background and Objective: With the advancement of cancer treatments and increased life expectancy, managing breakthrough cancer pain (BTcP) is essential to improve the quality of life for cancer patients. This study aimed to compare the major rapid onset opioids in Korea based on their characteristics and costs to determine the best option for each patient. Methods: Based on sales information from IQVIA-MIDAS, sublingual fentanyl tablet (SLF), fentanyl buccal tablet (FBT), and oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate (OTFC) were selected as the top three drugs for the treatment of BTcP in Korea, considering them the most comparable drugs. The cost and cost-pain relief ratio of the drugs for short-term (1 month) and long-term (1 year) treatment were compared and the ease of administration based on various factors, including pharmacokinetics, onset of action, and administration procedures were evaluated. Results: SLF was evaluated as the best overall in terms of rapid onset of action, ease of administration, and drug cost and also had the highest market share. SLF had the lowest cost pain relief ratio for both the initial and supplemental treatment for the 1-month pain intensity difference 15 (PID15) ratio. However, for the 1-month PID30 ratio, SLF was not superior to OTFC or FBT. The longer the breakthrough cancer pain duration, the more cost-effective the other rapid onset opioids. Conclusion: The rapid onset opioids that fit the patient's breakthrough cancer pain pattern have the best cost-effectiveness.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제35권4호
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• pp.475-487
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• 2022

Background: Use of opioids for chronic intractable pain is increasing globally, and their proper use can improve patients' quality of life. In contrast, opioid use disorders, such as abuse or addiction, caused by prescribing opioids, are a worldwide issue. This study aimed to understand current opioid prescribing patterns and pain physicians' experiences with opioid use in South Korea. Methods: Pain physicians in 42 university hospitals in South Korea were asked to complete anonymous questionnaires regarding opioid prescriptions. Results: A total of 69 surveys were completed. Most pain physicians started prescribing opioids at a pain score of 7/10 and aimed to reduce pain by 50%. Most physicians (73.1%) actively explained the prescribed medications and possible side effects, and 61.2% of physicians preferred the prescription interval of 4 weeks. Immediate-release opioids were the most popular treatment for breakthrough pain (92.6%). The most common side effect encountered by physicians was constipation (43.3%), followed by nausea/vomiting (34.3%). Of the physicians, 56.5% replied that addiction and misuse prevalences were less than 5%. However, the most concerning side effect was addiction (33.0%). Conclusions: The survey results showed that the prescribing patterns of pain physicians generally followed Korean guidelines. Physicians were most interested in the safety and effectiveness of opioid prescriptions. They were most concerned about respiratory depression and abuse or addiction. A significant number of physicians agreed that the NHIS regulations needed improvement for patient convenience and safe and effective treatment, though there were pros and cons of the NHIS restrictions on prescription conditions.

• 종양간호연구
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• 제2권1호
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• pp.36-49
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the pain management education on pain of the terminal cancer patients at home. For evaluating the effectiveness of the intervention modified Patient Outcome Questionnaire (APS, 1995) including patients concerns with cancer pain management, pain intensity, and interference of daily activities related to pain were measured before and after the education in control group and experimental group and the differences were compared with each other. Satisfaction with pain management was measured after the intervention. Pain management education was delivered to 16 experimental group patients by home care nurses, who were provided with 3-hour education on cancer pain management by one of the researchers. Pain management education included common misconceptions about cancer pain control and pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions and emphasis was put on the importance of pain reports and patients' active participation in pain management. The results of the study were as follows. Patients concerns with pain management were decreased more greatly in the experimental group than those of the control group. The worst, average, and present pain intensities during the last 24 hours were decreased more greatly in the experimental group, and total score and each subcategory of the interference of daily living, except walking, were decreased more greatly in the experimental group. And satisfaction score with total pain management and nurses response to the pain reports were higher in the experimental group. The results of this study suggest that pain management education given to the patients by home care nurses is a very useful intervention to improve pain of the cancer patients at home. This positive result is thought to derive from patients' active pain report and participation in pain control and the use of powder form sustained release morphine for breakthrough pain control in part. Further studies with increased sample size from more institutions are recommended and early introduction of short acting morphine is strongly suggested for effective cancer pain control.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제20권2호
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• pp.190-194
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• 2007

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), which is a syndrome that is defined by pain and sudomotor and/or vasomotor instability, is usually resistant to conventional treatment. Here, a case involving a 30-year-old male patient with CRPS type I who showed severe intractable right shoulder pain with allodynia and hyperalgesia despite being treated with oral medications, nerve blocks including thoracic sympathetic neurolysis, and spinal cord stimulation is described. The patient frequently visited the emergency room due to severe uncontrollable breakthrough pain. Although a favorable effect was observed in response to intermittent ketamine infusion therapies that were performed on an outpatient basis, acute exacerbation of pain occurred frequently during the night and could not be controlled. Therefore, subcutaneous ketamine infusion therapy using a patient-controlled analgesic system was attempted and found to effectively control acute exacerbation of pain during 6 weeks of infusion without serious complications.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제34권2호
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• pp.210-216
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• 2021

Background: Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is the most common complication of acute herpes zoster. The treatment of PHN remains a challenge for clinical pain management. Despite the effectiveness of anticonvulsants, antidepressants, and lidocaine patches in reducing PHN, many patients still face intractable pain disorders. In this randomized controlled study, we evaluated whether hydromorphone through intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV PCA) was effective in relieving PHN. Methods: Patients with PHN were randomly divided into two groups, one group received oral pregabalin with IV normal saline, another group received oral pregabalin with additional IV PCA hydromorphone for two weeks. Efficacy was evaluated at 1, 4, and 12 weeks after the end of the treatments. Results: Two hundred and one patients were followed up for 12 weeks. After treatment, numerical rating scale (NRS) score of patients in the hydromorphone group was significantly lower than that of the control group, and the difference of NRS scores between the two groups was statistically significant at 4 and 12 weeks after treatment. The frequency of breakthrough pain in the hydromorphone group was significantly lower than that in the control group 1 and 4 weeks after treatment. After treatment, the quality of sleep in the hydromorphone group was significantly improved compared with the control group. The most common adverse reactions in the hydromorphone group were dizziness and nausea, with no significant respiratory depression. Conclusions: IV PCA hydromorphone combined with oral pregabalin provides superior pain relief in patients with PHN, which is worthy of clinical application and promotion.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• 제17권4호
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• pp.270-277
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• 2014

목적: 본 연구는 중등도 이상의 통증을 호소하는 암환자의 통증간호기록을 분석하여 통증의 특성과 통증완화를 위한 중재 및 중재의 효과를 조사하는 후향적 연구이다. 방법: 대상자는 2011년 2월 1일부터 2월 28일까지 서울시에 소재한 C 대학교 병원의 암병동에 입원 환자 중 재원일수가 3일 이상 30일 이하이며, 18세 이상의 성인으로 NRS로 측정한 통증의 강도가 4점 이상인 363명이었다. 결과: 입원 후 4점 이상의 통증을 호소한 건수는 1,394건이었다. 통증의 부위는 복부가 가장 많았고, 통증의 악화요인은 움직였을 때가, 완화요인은 진통제를 투여받았을 때가 가장 많았다. 통증의 유형은 돌발성 통증이 가장 많았다. 통증을 조절하기 위해 사용한 비약물적 중재 중 온요법이 가장 많았다. 약물을 투여하기 전 통증의 강도는 평균 6.68점이었으며 약물투여 후 1시간에 평균 2.81점으로 감소되었다. 정규처방으로 진통제를 투여한 경우는 52.2%였으며, 마약성 진통제 중 Morphine sulfate가, 비마약적 진통제 중 Gabapentin이 가장 많이 사용되었다. 퇴원 시 통증의 강도는 3점 이하가 82.5%였다. 결론: NRS 4점 이상의 통증을 호소하는 암환자는 입원 초기부터 적극적으로 통증을 조절하는 것이 중요하다. 마약성 진통제로 통증을 조절하는 암환자와 가족은 물론 간호사를 대상으로 약제의 효과와 부작용에 대하여 교육하고, 또한 퇴원 후 가정에서 환자와 가족이 통증을 평가하고 기록하여 추후 치료에 반영할 수 있도록 교육하는 것이 필요하다.