Pain and quality of life in breast cancer patients

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of pain on quality of life in breast cancer patients. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 400 patients, including 118 without metastasis, 160 with loco-regional metastasis and 122 with distant metastasis. The instruments used were the European Organization for Research and Treatment for Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 and the Breast Cancer-specific 23 and short McGill Pain Questionnaire. RESULTS: In total, 71.7% of patients reported pain. The most frequent sensory descriptor used by patients was 'jumping.' In the evaluative dimension, the main descriptor chosen was troublesome. The Global Health self-assessment showed pain to be inversely correlated with quality of life: the group without metastasis had a mean score of 55.3 (SD=24.8) for those in pain, which rose to 69.7 (SD=19.2) for those without pain (p=0.001). Subjects with loco-regional metastasis had score of 59.1 (SD=21.3) when in pain, and those without pain had a significantly higher score of 72.4 (SD=18.6) (p<0.001). Patients from the distant metastasis group showed similar results with a mean score of 48.6 (SD=23.1) for those in pain and 67.6 (SD=20.4) for those without pain (p=0.002). Regarding the association of pain intensity and quality of life, patients with distant metastasis and intense pain had the worst scores for quality of life with a functional scale mean of 49.9 (SD=17.3) (p<0.009), a Symptom Scale score of 50.0 (SD=20.1) (p<0.001) and a Global Health Scale score of 39.7 (SD=24.7) (p<0.006). CONCLUSIONS: Pain compromises the quality of life of patients with breast cancer, particularly those with advanced stages of the disease.

Avaliação e tratamento da dor em oncologia pediatrica / Pain assessment and treatment in children with oncological diseases

Nos últimos anos ocorreu considerável melhora na sobrevida das crianças com câncer. Nos últimos anos ocorreu considerável melhora na sobrevida das crianças com câncer. Entretanto, apesar da crescente conscientização sobre as causas e tratamento da dor, estudos mostram que essas crianças continuam a experimentar diariamente sintomas angustiantes, físicos e emocionais causados pela doença e seu tratamento. O objetivo deste trabalho foi revisar a literatura a respeito das particularidades associadas à dor infantil relacionada ao câncer, salientando as suas principais causas assim como as possibilidades terapêuticas disponíveis. Foram revisados artigos referentes ao tema proposto, publicados nos últimos 20 anos, entre janeiro de 1990 e novembro de 2010, utilizando as bases Scientific Eletronic Library Online (SCIELO) e National Library Of Medicine ­ PubMed (MEDLINE). A chave para o controle da dor é a obtenção de uma avaliação detalhada por equipe multidisciplinar para o desenvolvimento de um plano de tratamento específico para cada criança, com frequentes reavaliações. Apesar de algumas limitações, a escada analgésica da Organização Mundial de Saúde serve como pilar para o tratamento desses pacientes, contribuindo para o alívio da dor oncológica em todo o mundo. Para melhor abordagem, terapias combinadas (farmacológicas e não farmacológicas) devem ser utilizadas adaptando-se às necessidades individuais, com o objetivo de minimizar a dor e os efeitos adversos do tratamento. (AU)

In recent years there has been a considerable improvement in survival of children with cancer. However, despite growing awareness about the causes and treatment of pain, studies show that these children continue to experience daily physical and emotional distressing symptoms caused by the disease and its treatment. The aim of this study was to review the literature regarding the particularities associated with children pain related to cancer, highlighting their main causes and therapeutic possibilities available. We reviewed articles relating to the proposed theme published from the last 20 years, between January 1990 and November 2010 using the bases Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), National Library Of Medicine ­ PubMed (MEDLINE). The key to pain control is to obtain a detailed evaluation by a multidisciplinary team to develop a specific treatment plan for each child, with frequent reassessments. Despite some limitations, the analgesic ladder of the World Health Organization serves as a pillar to treat these patients, providing pain relief worldwide. For a better pain management, combined therapies (pharmacological and nonpharmacological) should be used adapted to individual needs, in order to minimize pain and side effects of treatment.(AU)