Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32220943›Full record

ArticleBMJ supportive & palliative care2020

Percutaneous cervical cordotomy for cancer-related pain: national data.

Marlise Poolman, Matthew Makin, Jess Briggs, Kate Scofield, Nick Campkin, Michael Williams, Manohar Lal Sharma, Barry Laird, Catriona R Mayland, INPIC Group

Open access · hybridAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ supportive & palliative care, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.3field-weighted citation impact, top 13% 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

10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 21 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. 17. Cancer Pain: Part I: Cordotomy for Unilateral Pain due to Cancer.Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain · 2026
    Review
  3. Observational
  4. Awake Percutaneous Cervical Cordotomy in Patients With Cancer: A Technical Report.Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain · 2026
    Article
  5. C1-2 CSF tap in a 6-month-old infant: illustrative case.Journal of neurosurgery. Case lessons · 2026
    Article
  6. Review
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Review
  10. The use of interventional procedures for cancer pain. A brief review.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2024
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 7 institutions in 1 country.

Marlise PoolmanBangor Institute for Health and Medical Research, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, UK.
Matthew MakinPennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, Manchester, UK.
Jess BriggsThe Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK.
Kate ScofieldSt Columba's Hospice, Edinburgh, UK.
Nick CampkinQueen Alexander Hospital, Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, Portsmouth, UK.
Michael WilliamsQueen Alexander Hospital, Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, Portsmouth, UK.
Manohar Lal SharmaDepartment of Pain Medicine, Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK.
Barry LairdSt Columba's Hospice, Edinburgh, UK.
Catriona R MaylandDepartment of Oncology and Metabolism, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK C.R.Mayland@sheffield.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1440-9953
INPIC Group
Queen Alexandra Hospital · GBBangor University · GBInstitute of Genetics and Cancer · GBMarie Curie Palliative Care Institute Liverpool · GBPennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust · GBThe Christie NHS Foundation Trust · GBUniversity of Liverpool · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesPercutaneous cervical cordotomy (PCC) is an interventional ablative procedure in the armamentarium for cancer pain treatment, but there is limited evidence to support its use. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of PCC.

methodsAnalysis was undertaken of the first national (UK) prospective data repository of adult patients with cancer undergoing PCC for pain treatment. The relationship between pain and other outcomes before and after PCC was examined using appropriate statistical methods.

resultsData on 159 patients' PCCs (performed from 1 January 2012 to 6 June 2017 in three centres) were assessed: median (IQR) age was 66 (58-71) years, 47 (30%) were female. Mesothelioma was the most common primary malignancy (57%). The median (IQR) time from cancer diagnosis to PCC assessment was 13.3 (6.2-23.2) months; PCC to follow-up was 9 (8-25) days; and survival after PCC was 1.3 (0.6-2.8) months. The mean (SD) for 'average pain' using a numerical rating scale was 6 (2) before PCC and 2 (2) at follow-up, and for 'worst pain' 9 (1) and 3 (3), respectively. The median (IQR) reduction in strong opioid dose at follow-up was 50% (34-50). With the exception of 'activity', all health-related quality of life scores (5-level version of EuroQol-5 Dimension) either improved or were stable after PCC. Six patients (4%) had PCC-related adverse events.

conclusionsPCC is an effective treatment for cancer pain; however, findings in this study suggest PCC referrals tended to be late in patients' disease trajectories. Further study into earlier treatment and seeking international consensus on PCC outcomes will further enhance opportunities to improve patient care.

Indexed as

AgedCancer PainCervical VertebraeCordotomyFemaleHumansMaleMesotheliomaMiddle AgedMinimally Invasive Surgical ProceduresPain ManagementPain MeasurementProspective StudiesQuality of LifeSpinal CordTime-to-Treatmentcancerclinical decisionspain

Identifiers

PMID32220943
PMCPMC7691804
OpenAlexW3013991893

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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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.