Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24945289›Full record

Observational studyPain research & management

Breakthrough pain in patients with controlled or uncontrolled basal pain: an observational study.

Antonio Gatti, Marta Gentili, Marco Baciarello, Marzia Lazzari, Rossella Marzi, Elisa Palombo, Alessandro Fabrizio Sabato, Giudo Fanelli

Open access · goldAbstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in Pain research & management. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 26% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 7 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Antonio Gatti
Marta Gentili
Marco Baciarello
Marzia Lazzari
Rossella Marzi
Elisa Palombo
Alessandro Fabrizio Sabato
Giudo Fanelli
University of Rome Tor Vergata · ITUniversity of Parma · ITAzienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Maggiore della Carita · ITThe Patients Association · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundBreakthrough pain (BTP) is traditionally defined as a pain exacerbation in patients with chronic controlled pain. However, this definition has recently been challenged.

objectivesTo evaluate the prevalence of unsatisfactory control in patients with chronic cancer pain, and investigate the frequency and intensity of BTP episodes.

methodsA total of 665 patients with chronic cancer pain attending 21 pain therapy units in Italy were evaluated for baseline pain intensity and number of BTP episodes over a 30-day period. All patients started, continued or modified treatment for BTP at enrollment, according to medical judgment.

resultsThe number of BTP events was higher in patients with uncontrolled baseline pain, although the intensity and duration of episodes were similar. In patients with uncontrolled baseline pain, the number of events decreased with time and reached values comparable with those reported in patients with controlled pain. Both the intensity of the pain and the duration of the BTP events exhibited similar values in the two groups at all time points, following increased monitoring and the prescription of analgesic medication.

conclusionPatients with uncontrolled baseline pain experienced BTP flares with higher frequency, but similar intensity and duration with respect to patients with controlled pain at baseline. Notably, a close follow-up and adequate management of the BTP episodes led to an improvement of BTP in the observed patients.

Indexed as

AdultAgedAnalgesicsBreakthrough PainFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNeoplasmsAnalgesics

Identifiers

PMID24945289
PMCPMC4273716
OpenAlexW2187563878

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.