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Pain Management

Integrative care options help pain management

Helen H. Miller, LCSW, ACSW May 29, 2012

The variety of options available to help patients manage their pain can improve quality of life during and after cancer treatment.

Cancer pain often undertreated, especially among minorities

Delicia Honen Yard May 16, 2012

One-third of outpatients with breast, prostate, colon/rectum, or lung cancer were receiving insufficient pain treatment, particularly minorities.

Knowing versus understanding

Ann J. Brady, RN, BSN May 01, 2012

Nurses anticipate a patient's need for pain meds. But understanding why a patient has no need for them may be difficult.

Opening the Door to Effective Pain Management: Getting the Facts and Getting Help

April 25, 2012

This fact sheet details how patients can effectively communicate about and manage cancer-related pain.

Meditation techniques for cancer patients

April 04, 2012

The many benefits of meditation include reduce anxiety, ease pain, increase flexibility, and improve overall health. Although medication is not a cure, it may improve quality of life for patients with cancer.

Integrative care options

April 02, 2012

Various activities can help patients cope with cancer and its treatments. These techniques should not replace medical care, but they can enhance patients' quality of life.

An exit strategy for opioid therapy

Lisa A. Thompson, PharmD, BCOP February 23, 2012

What exit strategy do you recommend for discontinuing opioid therapy?

Intracerebroventricular Opioid Infusion Feasible at Home

February 10, 2012

Intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusion of opioids is effective for treatment of refractory pain in terminal patients with low incidence of adverse events.

Psychosocial approach useful in managing cancer pain

Delicia Honen Yard February 03, 2012

Psychosocial interventions, including skills instruction and education, can help reduce pain in persons with cancer, confirm the results of a recent meta-analysis.

Exploring holistic medicine: Using acupuncture to relieve cancer-related fatigue

Bette Weinstein Kaplan December 19, 2011

The ancient Eastern medicinal art can relieve one of the most distressing effects of cancer and cancer treatment: fatigue.

Work-around: An indirect way to accomplish the same goal

Ann J. Brady, RN, BSN December 19, 2011

Interpersonal relations are comparable to navigating computer software. A change in approach may produce the desired results.

Oncologists need to sharpen their pain-management skills

Delicia Honen Yard November 25, 2011

The results of a recent survey suggest that pain-related knowledge and practice may not be up to par within the oncology community.

Vitamin D regimen is effective in resolving bone pain related to aromatase-inhibitor therapy

Bette Weinstein Kaplan October 19, 2011

High-dose vitamin D may relieve, even resolve, severe pain in patients on aromatase inhibitor therapy for breast cancer.

Methylnaltrexone (Relistor)

Bette Weinstein Kaplan October 19, 2011

Methylnaltrexone is a peripheral acting narcotic antagonist, opioid reversing agent. It is indicated for treatment of opioid-induced constipation.

Guidelines reflect changes in radiotherapy for bone metastases

Bryant Furlow, BA October 19, 2011

New ASTRO guidelines for palliative radiotherapy for bone metastases reflect the results of a meta-analysis of 45 studies.

CIPN: Treatment preservation and prevention are the goals

Colleen H. Erb, MSN, ACNP-BC, AOCNP September 21, 2011

CIPN is a debilitating adverse effect that can lead to reduced doses that hinder treatment effectiveness or early discontinuation of therapy.

Vitamin D relieves musculoskeletal effects of aromatase inhibitors

Delicia Honen Yard August 10, 2011

High-dose vitamin D2 supplementation improved aromatase-induced musculoskeletal symptoms and bone loss in women with early breast cancer taking adjuvant anastrozole in a phase II trial.

Ears like a wolf ...when perspective clouds judgment

Ann J. Brady, RN, BSN August 01, 2011

The patient's constant complaining and irritating personality almost overwhelmed his need for care.

Dignity therapy improves end-of-life experience

Delicia Honen Yard July 20, 2011

A form of psychotherapy that is intended to relieve distress for dying patients and their families showed great effectiveness in a recent study.

Introduce palliative care for pain at cancer diagnosis

Delicia Honen Yard July 08, 2011

Palliative care interventions should be introduced at diagnosis as a part of disease management rather than not until the end of life, suggests a review of cancer pain management.

The pain of surviving cancer: Coping with the lasting effects of chemotherapy treatment

Bette Weinstein Kaplan April 12, 2011

Treatment-related pain is debilitating for patients. Many medications are not effective, but some techniques can alleviate patients' discomfort.

ASTRO issues guideline for palliative radiotherapy in bone metastases

Delicia Honen Yard March 09, 2011

Radiotherapy is a successful and time-efficient means by which to palliate pain and/or prevent the morbidity of bone metastases, according to the American Society for Radiation Oncology.

Kyphoplasty repairs fractured vertebrae in cancer

Delicia Honen Yard March 03, 2011

Cancer patients who suffer painful vertebral compression fractures may find relief through balloon kyphoplasty, a technique that appears to relieve pain and improve function quickly.

Morphine sulfate label revised to avoid dosing errors

February 01, 2011

Roxane Laboratories has made labeling and product-packaging changes to its morphine sulfate oral solution 100 mg per 5 mL (20 mg/mL) due to accidental overdoses that resulted in adverse events and deaths.

Abstral approved for breakthrough cancer pain

Delicia Honen Yard January 27, 2011

A tablet delivering transmucosal fentanyl, Abstral is indicated for the management of breakthrough pain in adult cancer patients who are already using opioids around the clock.

Use evidence-based practice to make your argument

Ann J. Brady, RN, BSN January 19, 2011

The goal was to make the case for better pain management without undermining the care team.

A broad assessment of symptoms revealed an atypical presentation

Marcia M. Kendall, DNP-c, APRN-BC, ACHPN; Teri Kaul, PhD, RN, APRN-BC, APNP January 18, 2011

The patient's symptoms suggested a hypopharyngeal tumor, but imaging studies showed the mass in an unexpected location.

Smoking may increase cancer pain

Delicia Honen Yard January 07, 2011

Smoking is not only a cause of cancer, it also appears to be a cause of greater cancer-related pain, according to a recent survey of 224 patients.

Pain: For the patient, it's more than just another four-letter word

Ann J. Brady, RN, BSN November 02, 2010

Assessment of pain involves more than asking patients to rate their level of pain, yet often we act as if that is all that is necessary.

Opioid use at home is safe for patients who need pain relief

Tasheema Prince September 28, 2010

Increased doses of opioids during end-of-life care at home is safe to relieve pain and suffering, according to a study published in the Journal of Palliative Medicine (2010 Sep;13(9):1079-83).