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01-06-2014 | Cancer Pain (D Marcus, Section Editor)

Breakthrough Cancer Pain

Author: Andrew N. Davies

Published in: Current Pain and Headache Reports | Issue 6/2014

Abstract

Breakthrough pain is a distinct pain state that is common in patients with cancer pain and which is associated with significant morbidity in this group of patients. The aim of this article is to highlight important journal articles relating to breakthrough pain that have been published within the last year, including a systematic review of the epidemiology of breakthrough pain, the largest-ever study of the clinical features of breakthrough pain, and a network meta-analysis of the treatment of breakthrough pain.

Portenoy RK, Hagen NA. Breakthrough pain: definition and management. Oncol Huntingt. 1989;3(8 Suppl):25–9.

Portenoy RK, Hagen NA. Breakthrough pain: definition, prevalence and characteristics. Pain. 1990;41:273–81.PubMedCrossRef

3.••

Davies AN, Dickman A, Reid C, Stevens AM, Zeppetella G. The management of cancer-related breakthrough pain: recommendations of a task group of the Science Committee of the Association for Palliative Medicine of Great Britain and Ireland. Eur J Pain. 2009;13:331–8. Expert (UK) recommendations on diagnosis and management of breakthrough pain.PubMedCrossRef

4.•

Deandrea S, Corli O, Consonni D, et al. Prevalence of breakthrough cancer pain: a systematic review and pooled analysis of published literature. J Pain Symptom Manag. 2014;47:57–76. First systematic review of the prevalence of breakthrough cancer pain in the literature.CrossRef

Portenoy RK. Treatment of temporal variations in chronic cancer pain. Semin Oncol. 1997;5(S16):7–12.

Mercadante S, Zagonel V, Breda E, et al. Breakthrough pain in oncology: a longitudinal study. J Pain Symptom Manag. 2010;40:183–90.CrossRef

7.••

Davies A, Buchanan A, Zeppetella G, et al. Breakthrough cancer pain: an observational study of 1000 European oncology patients. J Pain Symptom Manag. 2013;46:619–28. Largest study of the clinical features of breakthrough cancer pain in the literature.CrossRef

8.•

Bedard G, Hawley P, Zhang L, et al. A survey of Canadian cancer patients’ perspectives on the characteristics and treatment of breakthrough pain. Support Care Cancer. 2013;21:2557–63.PubMedCrossRef

Saini A, Tucci M, Tampellini M, et al. Circadian variation of breakthrough pain in cancer patients. Eur J Pain. 2013;17:264–70.PubMedCrossRef

10.

Fine PG, Busch MA. Characterization of breakthrough pain by hospice patients and their caregivers. J Pain Symptom Manag. 1998;16:179–83.CrossRef

11.

Bruera E, Macmillan K, Kuehn N, Miller MJ. Circadian distribution of extra doses of narcotic analgesics in patients with cancer pain: a preliminary report. Pain. 1992;49:311–4.PubMedCrossRef

12.

Citron ML, Kalra JM, Seltzer VL, Chen S, Hoffman M, Walczak MB. Patient-controlled analgesia for cancer pain: a long term study of inpatient and outpatient use. Cancer Investig. 1992;10:335–41.CrossRef

13.

Davies A. Cancer-related Breakthrough Pain. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2012.CrossRef

14.••

Zeppetella G, Davies A, Rios C, Eijgelshoven I, Jansen JP. A network meta-analysis of the efficacy of opioid analgesics for the management of breakthrough cancer pain episodes. J Pain Symptom Manag. 2013. doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2013.05.020. Most complete and up-to-date network analysis of the efficacy of rescue medication for breakthrough cancer pain in the literature.

15.

Vissers D, Stam W, Nolte T, Lenre M, Jansen J. Efficacy of intranasal fentanyl spray versus other opioids for breakthrough pain in cancer. Curr Med Res Opin. 2010;26:1037–45.PubMedCrossRef

16.

Jandhyala R, Fullarton JR, Bennett MI. Efficacy of rapid-onset oral fentanyl formulations vs. oral morphine for cancer-related breakthrough pain: a meta-analysis of comparative trials. J Pain Symptom Manag. 2013. doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2012.09.009.

17.

Farrar JT, Cleary J, Rauck R, Busch M, Nordbrock E. Oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate: randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial for treatment of breakthrough pain in cancer patients. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1998;90:611–6.PubMedCrossRef

18.

Coluzzi PH, Schwartzberg L, Conroy Jr JD, et al. Breakthrough cancer pain: a randomized trial comparing oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate (OTFC) and morphine sulfate immediate release (MSIR). Pain. 2001;91:123–30.PubMedCrossRef

19.

Portenoy RK, Taylor D, Messina J, Tremmel L. A randomized, placebo-controlled study of fentanyl buccal tablet for breakthrough pain in opioid-treated patients with cancer. Clin J Pain. 2006;22:805–11.PubMedCrossRef

20.

Slatkin NE, Xie F, Messina J, Segal TJ. Fentanyl buccal tablet for relief of breakthrough pain in opioid-tolerant patients with cancer-related chronic pain. J Support Oncol. 2007;5:327–34.PubMed

21.

Kress HG, Oronska A, Kaczmarek Z, Kaasa S, Colberg T, Nolte T. Efficacy and tolerability of intranasal fentanyl spray 50 to 200 microg for breakthrough pain in patients with cancer: a phase III, multinational, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial with a 10-month, open-label extension treatment period. Clin Ther. 2009;31:1177–91.PubMedCrossRef

22.

Mercadante S, Radbruch L, Davies A, et al. A comparison of intranasal fentanyl spray with oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate for the treatment of breakthrough cancer pain: an open-label, randomised, crossover trial. Curr Med Res Opin. 2009;25:2805–15.PubMed

23.

Fallon M, Reale C, Davies A, et al. Efficacy and safety of fentanyl pectin nasal spray compared with immediate-release morphine sulfate tablets in the treatment of breakthrough cancer pain: a multicenter, randomized, controlled, double-blind, double-dummy multiple-crossover study. J Support Oncol. 2011;9:224–31.PubMedCrossRef

24.

Rauck RL, Tark M, Reyes E, et al. Efficacy and long-term tolerability of sublingual fentanyl orally disintegrating tablet in the treatment of breakthrough cancer pain. Curr Med Res Opin. 2009;25:2877–85.PubMedCrossRef

25.

Portenoy RK, Burton AW, Gabrail N, Taylor D. A multicenter, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multiple-crossover study of fentanyl pectin nasal spray (FPNS) in the treatment of breakthrough cancer pain. Pain. 2010;151:617–24.PubMedCrossRef

26.

Rauck R, North J, Gever LN, Tagarro I, Finn AL. Fentanyl buccal soluble film (FBSF) for breakthrough pain in patients with cancer: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Ann Oncol. 2010;21:1308–14.PubMedCentralPubMedCrossRef

27.

Rauck R, Reynolds L, Geach J, et al. Efficacy and safety of fentanyl sublingual spray for the treatment of breakthrough cancer pain: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Curr Med Res Opin. 2012;28:859–70.PubMedCrossRef

28.

Mercadante S, Porzio G, Alelli F, Averna L, Ficorella C, Casuccio A. The use of fentanyl buccal tablets for breakthrough pain by using doses proportional to opioid basal regimen in a home care setting. Support Care Cancer. 2013;21:2335–9.PubMedCrossRef

29.

Mercadante S, Prestia G, Casuccio A. The use of sublingual fentanyl for breakthrough pain by using doses proportional to opioid basal regimen. Curr Med Res Opin. 2013;29:1527–32. doi:10.1185/03007995.2013.826640.PubMedCrossRef

30.

Davies AN, Vriens J, Kennett A, McTaggart M. An observational study of oncology patients’ utilisation of breakthrough pain medication. J Pain Symptom Manag. 2008;35:406–11.CrossRef

31.

Davies AN, Zeppetella G, Andersen S, et al. Multi-centre European study of breakthrough cancer pain: pain characteristics and patient perceptions of current and potential management strategies. Eur J Pain. 2011;15:756–63.PubMedCrossRef

Title: Breakthrough Cancer Pain
Author: Andrew N. Davies
Publication date: 01-06-2014
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Current Pain and Headache Reports / Issue 6/2014
Print ISSN: 1531-3433
Electronic ISSN: 1534-3081
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-014-0420-9

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Breakthrough Cancer Pain

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