• Journal of Haehwa Medicine
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.41-45
• /
• 2006

Aims: This overview summarizes the existing evidence on acupuncture for cancer-related pain. Methods: Literature searches were conducted in 7 databases. All clinical studies of acupuncture, electroacupuncture, ear acupuncture and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in cancer patients with the main outcome measure of pain were included. Results: Of the 8 studies included, one high quality randomized clinical trial (RCT) of ear acupuncture showed statistically significant pain relief in comparison with placebo ear acupuncture. All the other studies were either non-blinded (n = 2) or uncontrolled clinical trials (n = 5). Most investigations suffered from methodological flaws such as inadequate study design, poor reporting of results, small sample size and overestimation of the results. Conclusions: The current evidence does not support the use of acupuncture as an adjunctive analgesic method for cancer patients. Only one high quality RCT showed promising results thus warranting further investigation into this under-researched area.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.456-462
• /
• 2001

Objective : Although cingulotomy has been applied to patients with affective disorders more frequently, there are numerous reports of its use for the control of severe pain. The goal of this study was to investigate the role of stereotactic bilateral anterior cingulotomy for intractable cancer pain. Method : Between January and June, 2000, we underwent stereotactic bilateral anterior cingulotomy in 6 patients for intractable cancer pain with poor response to opioids. The patients were suffering from widespread musculoskeletal or visceral pain. We made four lesions along the two tracks on either side of the cingulate cortex. Result : In all patients, pain reliefs after cingulotomy were dramatic and immediate. Five out of six patients did not require any opioids and one patient could reduce dose of opioids. There were no deaths or serious complications related to the procedure. Conclusion : These results suggested that a bilateral anterior cingulotomy might be useful method to control intractable cancer pain associated with the widespread metastatic disease. To provide rationale of bilateral anterior cingulotomy in intractable cancer pain, the theoretical mechanisms and role of bilateral anterior cingulotomy are discussed, along with our surgical techniques and the course of our patients.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.95-100
• /
• 1999

Background: About 75% of terminal cancer patients have severe pain. For the treatment of these patients, physicians usually use potent opioid analgesics. But many of the cancer patients were not controlled by IV or IM injection of opioids. In spite of the untreatable nature of the patient's illness, they should be hospitalized only for pain control. In that case, epidural opioid injection is one of the most effective methods in pain management. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 126 terminal cancer patients who were treated with epidural morphine for pain management from 1993-97. In the routine procedure, an epidural catheter was inserted into the epidural space and tunnelled subcutaneously, exiting out from the anterior chest or abdomen. Morphine was used as the main analgesic and Multiday Infusor$^{(R)}$ (Baxter, 0.5 ml/h) as a continuous infusion system. Results: 1. Mean treatment time was 55 days (range; 3~373). 2. Mean daily epidural start mg dose of morphine was 8 mg (range; 2~20). 3. Mean daily dose at termination was 19 mg (range; 4~60) 4. 94 patients were controlled with continuous infusion but 32 patients needed additional bolus doses of morphine. 5. heter-associated subcutaneous infection occurred in 2 patients (1.6%). Conclusion: Terminal cancer pain management administered by a tunnelled epidural catheter is a simple, inexpensive method with a very small rate of infection.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.56-60
• /
• 2009

More than 80% of cancer-related pain is pharmacologically controllable, whereas $10{\sim}20%$ of patients require interventional treatments. Neurolytic nerve block can play a major role in cancer pain treatment, and it has been proposed to prevent the development of pain and improve the quality of life of patients with cancer. If the pain is well localized and restricted to certain peripheral parts of the body, spinal peripheral or sympathetic nerve blocks may result in excellent therapeutic effects. Neurolytic sympathetic block, especially Celiac plexsus block (CPB) performed in earlier stages, is effective with successful long term results. However, selection of patients is critical for succeful outcomes. Neurolytic plexus block significantly improves the quality of life of patients and reduces abdominal and pelvic cancer pain, analgesic consumption and adverse opioids-related side effects. Interventional pain management should be considered at earlier stages to provide patients with the best quality of life possible.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.1-8
• /
• 2015

Breakthrough cancer pain is a transient exacerbation of pain that occurs despite relatively well controlled background pain with around-the-clock analgesia. It is highly prevalent in patients with cancer pain, with an overall prevalence of 70~90%. Breakthrough cancer pain has several negative effects on quality of life, including a decrease in functional status and social relationship, and higher incidence of anxiety/depression. It also places a detrimental burden on their families, society, and the healthcare system. According to the pathogenic mechanism, breakthrough cancer pain is classified into two categories: idiopathic (or spontaneous) pain and incident pain. Episodes of breakthrough cancer pain have typical characteristics, including rapid onset (5~10 min), severe intensity, and short duration (30~60 min). However, there are some variations in timing and severity of pain among patients and episodes. Therefore, a thorough assessment of pain episodes is needed and management plan must be individualized to provide optimal treatment. Several immediate-release formulations such as oxycodone, morphine, and hydromorphone are widely used despite relatively slow onset of action. Recent studies have shown that transmucosal fentanyl preparations were effective for faster control of breakthrough pain. We hope to improve management of breakthrough cancer pain with more efficient analgesics in line with currently available evidence.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
• /
• v.3 no.2
• /
• pp.145-154
• /
• 2003

Purpose: The study was to furnish basic raw materials that evaluate the efficacy of meatal care according to the form and the relative importance of symptom distress which most of cancer sufferers have been experienced. For that, an investigation of five diverse major cancer symptom distress made a comparison between symptom distress and degree of suffering. Method: Study subjects were 138 inpatients with stomach cancer, lung cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC), large intestine cancer and breast cancer, except those in the terminal-stage, in 'H' university hospital in Seoul and 'K' center in Ilsan gathered from November 20, 2002 to February 20, 2003. To measure the correlation between feeling of discomfort and agony caused by cancer, 5 point scale (from zero to four), stood on the basis of Symptom Distress Scale (SDS, Rodes & Watson, 1987), was used for this study and the Cronbach's coefficient alpha was 0.95. Accumulated data was analyzed with SPSS 10.0 for window, also used by ANOVA and Duncan's Multiple Range Test. Pearson's Correlation Analysis. Results: 1. Symptom distress of cancer patients was noted and defined in their severity-fatigue, anorexia, pain, depression, dyspepsia, changing appearance and nausea. The degree of symptom distress was fatigue, dyspepsia, depression, anorexia, pain, changing appearance and the degree of suffering was nausea, pain, anorexia, dyspepsia, vomiting, breathing difficulty, changing appearance and fatigue. 2. Examining the difference of degree of symptom distress in each cancer cases, it takes the precedence of them. First, in case of stomach cancer, depression, pain, vomiting and nausea were shown in sequence. In case of lung cancer depression, pain, sleeping problem, anxiety, changing appearance, inattentiveness and vomiting were showed in sequence, depression, changing appearance, sleeping problem, pain in case of HCC, depression, pain in case of large intestine cancer and lastly in case of breast cancer changing appearance, depression, pain and anxiety were shown in sequence. The category of the degree of symptom distress that has a signifiant difference was anorexia, activity discomfort, fatigue, constipation or diarrhea, breathing difficulty, dyspepsia, caughing, fever or chillness, scotoma and urinary disorder. Verifying the highest degree of symptom distress in each cancer cases, anorexia was 1.94(F=4.00, p<.01) in stomach cancer, activity discomfort was 0.97(F=3.08, p<.01) in lung cancer and HCC, fatigue was 2.32(F=4.64, p<.01) in HCC, constipation or diarrhea was 1.83(F=22.31, p<.001) in large intestine cancer, breathing difficulty was 1.83(F=4.00, p<.01) in lung cancer, dyspepsia was 2.69(F=9.98, p<.001) in stomach cancer, coughing was 1.53(F=20.49, p<.001) in lung cancer, fever or chillness was 1.23(F=6.88, p<.001) in lung cancer, scotoma was 1.20(F=3.02, p<.05) in lung cancer and urinary disorder was 1.54(F=11.56, p<.001) in HCC. 3. Examining the difference degree of suffering on cancer cases, the result was as follows; depression of lung cancer was 1.17(F=3.76, p<.01), anorexia of stomach cancer was 1.61(F=3.89, p<.01), constipation or diarrhea of large intestine cancer was 1.42(F=10.43, p<.001), changing appearance of breast cancer was 1.65(F=5.43, p<.001), breathing difficulty of lung cancer was 2.27(F=18.57, p<.001), dyspepsia of stomach cancer was 1.97(F=13.56, p<.001), coughing of lung cancer was 1.70(F=22.07, p<.001), fever or chillness of lung cancer was 1.13(F=4.41, p<.01), scotoma of lung cancer was 0.87(F=3.34, p<.05), anxiety of lung cancer was 0.87(F=4.50, p<.001) and urinary disorder of HCC was 1.43(F=16.71, p<.001). 4. In consequence, comparing between symptom distress and degree of suffering on cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, lung cancer patients showed the highest feeling of discomfort following stomach cancer, HCC, breast cancer and large intestine cancer(F=2.88, p<.05). On those undergoing radiotherapy, lung cancer, HCC, breast cancer, large intestine cancer was in sequence(F=3.78, p<.05) and those resisting radiotherapy, lung cancer, HCC, stomach cancer, large intestine cancer and breast cancer was in sequence(F=2.72, p<.05). 5. Correlation between symptom distress and degree of suffering on cancer patients was generally significant. Conclusion: this study not only defines a significant correlation between symptom distress and degree of suffering but also proffers basic data to evaluate the efficient meatal care depending upon diverse spectrums of symptom distress and degree of suffering.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.164-167
• /
• 2008

Frozen shoulder is known to be a self-limited disease, and it is associated with chronic pain and limitation of joint movement. Although its etiology is still unknown, frozen shoulder is associated with several diseases. The diagnosis is made based on the medical history, the clinical and radiological examinations and exclusion of other shoulder pathologies. The skeleton is one of the most common sites of metastasis in patients with lung cancer. It has been reported that the incidence of bone metastases in lung cancer patients is approximately 30-40%, and the median survival time of patients with such metastases is 6-7 months. We experienced a case of a 77-year-old female patient who complained of right shoulder pain and limited joint mobility, and these symptoms were due to metastatic lung cancer in the shoulder.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.230-234
• /
• 2007

A diagnosis of shoulder pain is varied and difficult to make. The initial onset of liver cancer is difficult to detect and patients typically do not complain of symptoms as most tumors are asymptomatic. If the symptoms of the patients develop, the first symptom is usually pain that extends from the abdomen to the back and shoulder. A suprascapular nerve block is used in the treatment of the referred shoulder pain due to a metastatic hepatoma, but the effectiveness of the treatment has been limited because of its short duration. Recently, the advent of pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) lesioning has proved a successful treatment for chronic refractory pain involving the peripheral nerves. We experienced a case of a 66-year-old male patient complaining of referred right shoulder pain due to metastatic liver cancer, which was relieved after PRF lesioning of the suprascapular nerve.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.12
• /
• pp.4787-4793
• /
• 2014

Background: Many cancer patients experience poor pain control due to various factors, including misconceptions regarding the use of opioid analgesics. For management of cancer pain, interventions involving education of both patients and physicians have been attempted. Objectives: This review aimed to assess the current evidence of the benefits of education for the management of cancer pain. Methods: We searched the Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane library, and major Korean databases to identify relevant studies. We included most study designs, but excluded case series. The primary outcomes were pain intensity and quality of life (QoL). Two reviewers assessed the risk of bias using the Cochrane's tool for RCT and Risk of Bias Assessment tool for Non-randomized Studies (RoBANS) for non-randomized studies, independently. Results: After extensive searches, 3,324 publications were screened, and 32 studies were selected. The education interventions used in the included studies included a wide variety of education methods, but the most common method was a booklet produced for patients. Regardless of the education method used, the results of the meta-analysis were as follows. The SMDs of the most severe, average, and current pain in the RCTs were significant. The SMD of worst, average, and current pain were -0.34 (-0.55, -0.13), -0.40 (-0.64, -0.15), and -0.79 (-1.35, -0.23). In the non-randomized studies, the effects on average pain were significant, but those on worst and current pain were not. Conclusions: Education intervention reduced the pain of cancer patients. Therefore, patient education could be considered to be an effective method of cancer pain management. However, our data should be interpreted with caution, and studies using standardized protocols are needed to confirm these observations.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.18-33
• /
• 2017

As the treatment of chronic non-cancer pain gradually increases, clinicians have more opportunities to encounter opioid prescription. However, guidelines for prescribing opioids for chronic non-cancer pain have never been published in Korea. The present guidelines were prepared by reviewing various research data. In cases in which the data were insufficient, recommendations were presented following discussion among experts affiliated with the Opioids Research Group in the Korean Pain Society. The present guidelines may need to be continuously revised and amended as more clinical evidence is acquired.