Journal of pain and symptom management
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Jul 2013
ReviewDo corticosteroids provide analgesic effects in cancer patients? A systematic literature review.
Corticosteroids are frequently used in cancer patients for their analgesic properties. The evidence for analgesic effects of corticosteroids in palliative care has not been established. ⋯ Corticosteroids may have a moderate analgesic effect in cancer patients. The paucity of relevant studies was striking; consequently, the evidence was graded as "very low." More studies addressing the analgesic efficacy in cancer patients are required.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Jul 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialOnce-weekly transdermal buprenorphine application results in sustained and consistent steady-state plasma levels.
Transdermal formulations of buprenorphine offer controlled delivery of buprenorphine for sustained analgesic efficacy with reduced adverse events (AEs) compared with the other modes of administration. A buprenorphine transdermal system (BTDS) delivering 5, 10, or 20 mcg/hour for seven days is now marketed in the U.S. as Butrans(®) (Lohmann Therapie-System AG, Andernach Germany), a Schedule III single-entity opioid analgesic indicated for the management of moderate and chronic pain in patients requiring continuous around-the-clock analgesia for an extended period. ⋯ Three consecutive once-weekly applications of BTDS 10 provided consistent and sustained delivery of buprenorphine. Steady-state plasma concentrations were reached within 48 hours of the first application of BTDS 10. Patch adhesion analysis confirmed the appropriateness of the seven-day application period. Overall, BTDS 10 was safe and well tolerated.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Jul 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialInternet-based dyspnea self-management support for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease experience dyspnea with activities despite optimal medical management. ⋯ The DSMPs did not significantly reduce dyspnea with activities compared with attention control. However, the high participant satisfaction with the DSMPs combined with positive changes in other outcomes, including self-efficacy for managing dyspnea and exercise behavior, highlight the need for additional testing of individually tailored technology-enabled interventions to optimize patient engagement and improve clinically relevant outcomes.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Jul 2013
ReviewPsychosocial effects of cancer cachexia: a systematic literature search and qualitative analysis.
Cancer cachexia is debilitating and affects most patients with advanced cancer. Because treatment options are poor, the psychosocial effects of cancer cachexia always should be assessed and psychosocial support provided. ⋯ The concept of psychosocial effects in cancer cachexia has the potential to sensitize health care professionals to cachexia-related problems and inform their clinical management of the condition.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Jul 2013
Alteration in pain modulation in women with persistent pain after lumpectomy: influence of catastrophizing.
Persistent pain is common after surgical treatment of breast cancer, but fairly little is known about the changes in sensory processing that accompany such pain syndromes. ⋯ These findings suggest that persistent postoperative pain is associated with alterations in central nervous system pain-modulatory processes. Future treatment studies might benefit from targeting these pain-modulatory systems, and additional studies using functional neuroimaging methods might provide further valuable information about the pathophysiology of long-term postsurgical pain in women treated for breast cancer.