An Italian survey on the attitudes in treating breakthrough cancer pain in hospice

As recognition and treatment of breakthrough cancer pain (BcP) depend on the education and knowledge of palliative care physicians, it is important to systematically explore the attitudes of palliative care physicians in hospices or palliative care units. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and attitudes of hospice physicians in Italy regarding BcP and its treatment. All hospices existing in Italy were interviewed to gather information about provision of BP medication, drugs of choice, preferred route of administration, methods to choose the dose, and choice of BcP medication based on opioid administered for background analgesia. Of 158 hospices registered, 122 centers agreed with the interview (77.2%). Morphine was more frequently used, either orally or parenterally. In some hospices, oral transmucosal fentanyl (OTFC) was unavailable. Most physicians provided doses of opioids proportional to the opioid basal regimen, independently of the preferred opioid or the route of administration. The choice of dose titration was equally used in patients who were prescribed OTFC or parenteral morphine. The choice of breakthrough medication on the basis of opioid basal regimen was equally distributed. These findings suggest the need for improved education on behalf of physicians on the assessment and treatment of BcP, particularly in a potentially specialized setting, such as palliative care units. The choice of BcP medications should be based on the best cost-efficacy ratio rather than solely on economical considerations.