One-fifth of survivors reported cancer-related chronic pain

Green CR. Cancer. 2010;doi:10.1002/cncr.25761.

Issue: February 10, 2011

Results of a survey of 199 cancer survivors revealed that 19.5% had chronic pain related to their disease and 42.6% reported experiencing pain since diagnosis.

Additionally, blacks and women tended to suffer in greater numbers.

Adults who had been diagnosed with breast, prostate, colorectal or lung cancer, or multiple myeloma at least 2 years earlier were eligible for the study. Participants received a letter and were asked to report disease type and treatment information.

Women made up 49% of the cohort, and 31% of respondents were black. Blacks tended to have lower incomes, lower cancer stages and lower surgery rates. Women had higher rates of chemotherapy, radiation and hormone therapy, and were more likely to lack insurance.

One-fifth of patients reported chronic pain. Women were more likely to experience pain than men, 56% vs. 30%. The primary cause of pain for whites was cancer surgery (53.8%) vs. cancer treatment for blacks (46.2%).

Blacks reported experiencing more severe pain since diagnosis, more interference from pain, greater pain-related disability in several pain disability index domains, and expressed more fatalism and concerns about harmful pain treatment effects. Blacks also had poorer general health (P=.02), poorer physical (P=.02) and social (P=.02) functioning, had greater appetite symptoms (P=.02) and more constipation (P=.001) than whites.

Women reported more pain since diagnosis and also more likely to report pain during activities compared with men, 50% vs. 24%. Women reported poorer cognitive functioning than men (P=.04) and more depressive symptoms (P=.006).

Both blacks and women also reported more financial difficulties (P<.05).

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