ArticleCancers2021
The Prevalence and Characteristics of Breakthrough Cancer Pain in Patients Receiving Low Doses of Opioids for Background Pain.
Article in Cancers, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review of qualitative research exploring patient and health professional perspectives of breakthrough cancer pain.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2023Pooled it
- Oxycodone/naloxone PR versus oxycodone PR in advanced cancer: A multi-centre randomised trial (ENhANCE trial).Palliative medicine · 2025Trial
- A Service Evaluation of Heisei Shiatsu Massage as an Adjunct to the Pharmacological Management of Cancer Pain.International journal of therapeutic massage & bodywork · 2026Article
- Effectiveness of fentanyl buccal soluble film in cancer patients with inadequate breakthrough pain control.BMC palliative care · 2024Article
- A rapid systematic review of breakthrough pain definitions and descriptions.British journal of pain · 2024Article
- Breakthrough pain and rapid-onset opioids in patients with cancer pain: a narrative review.Journal of Yeungnam medical science · 2024Article
- Cancer Pain Management: A Narrative Review of Current Concepts, Strategies, and Techniques.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2023Review
- Breakthrough pain among cancer patients at oncology units in Northern Ethiopia; a multi-center study.Frontiers in oncology · 2023Article
- Editorial: Insights in cancer pain: 2022.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Prostate cancer induced bone pain: pathobiology, current treatments and pain responses from recent clinical trials.Discover oncology · 2022Review
- The Management of Cancer Symptoms and Treatment-Induced Side Effects With Cannabis or Cannabinoids.Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Monographs · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and characteristics of breakthrough cancer pain (BTcP) in patients receiving low doses of opioids for background pain. A consecutive sample of advanced cancer patients receiving less than 60 mg/day of oral morphine equivalent (OME) was selected. Epidemiological data, background pain intensity, and current analgesic therapy were recorded. The presence of BTcP was diagnosed according to a standard algorithm. The number of BTcP episodes, intensity of BTcP, its predictability and triggers, onset duration, interference with daily activities, BTcP medications, satisfaction with BTcP medication, and time to meaningful pain relief were collected. A total of 126 patients were screened. The mean intensity of background pain was 2.71 (1.57), and the mean OME was 28.5 mg/day (SD15.8). BTP episodes were recorded in 88 patients (69.8%). The mean number/day of BTP episodes was 4.1 (SD 7.1, range 1-30). In a significant percentage of patients, BTcP was both predictable and unpredictable (23%). The BTcP onset was less than 20 min in the majority of patients. The mean duration of untreated episodes was 47.5 (SD 47.6) minutes. The mean time to meaningful pain relief after taking a BTcP medication was >20 min in 44.5% of patients. The efficacy of BTcP medication was not considered good in more than 63% of patients. Gender (females) (OR = 4.16) and lower Karnofsky (OR = 0.92) were independently associated with BTcP. A higher number of BTcP episodes/day was associated with gender (females) (
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Registered trials
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