Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34234563›Full record

ArticleCancer management and research2021

What to Do and What Not to Do in the Management of Cancer Pain: A Physician Survey and Expert Recommendations.

Paolo Bossi, Andrea Antonuzzo, Grazia Armento, Francesca Consoli, Jacopo Giuliani, Raffaele Giusti, Maurizio Lucchesi, Aurora Mirabile, Loredana Palermo, Sarah Scagliarini

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cancer management and research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.0field-weighted citation impact, top 24% 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

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

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Review
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

10 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.

Paolo BossiDepartment of Medical Oncology, ASST-Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy.
Andrea AntonuzzoMedical Oncology Unit 1 SSN, Oncology Center, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy.
Grazia ArmentoDepartment of Medical Oncology, Campus Bio-Medico University Hospital, Rome, Italy.
Francesca ConsoliDepartment of Medical Oncology, ASST-Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy.
Jacopo GiulianiUnit Department Medical Oncology, Mater Salutis, Hospital, Legnago, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-4096-2514
Raffaele GiustiUnit Department Medical Oncology, Sant 'Andrea University Hospital, Rome, Italy.
Maurizio LucchesiPneumology Unit - Thoracic Oncology Service, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy.
Aurora MirabileDepartment of Oncology, San Raffaele University Hospital, Milan, Italy.
Loredana PalermoUnit Department Medical Oncology, IRCCS Giovanni Paolo, Bari, Italy.
Sarah ScagliariniUnit Department Medical Oncology, AORN Cardarelli, Napoli, Italy.
Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Pisana · ITAzienda Socio Sanitaria Territoriale degli Spedali Civili di Brescia · ITIstituto Tumori Bari · ITOspedale Antonio Cardarelli · ITSan Raffaele University of Rome · ITUniversità Campus Bio-Medico · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDespite the prevalence of pain among patients with cancer and the availability of pertinent guidelines, the clinical management of oncological pain is decisively insufficient. To address this issue, we evaluated current trends in clinical practice and subsequently generated a list of ten corrective actions-five things to do and five things not to do-for the diagnosis, management, and monitoring of cancer pain.

methodsThe survey included 18 questions about clinical practice surrounding background pain and breakthrough cancer pain (BTcP). Survey questions were developed by a scientific board of 10 physician experts and communicated via email to an expanded panel of physicians in Italy. Responses were tabulated descriptively for analysis.

resultsOf 51 invited physicians, 32 (63%) provided complete survey responses. The responses revealed several incongruencies with current guideline recommendations: physicians did not always diagnose or monitor pain using diagnostically validated or disease-specific instruments; frequently based clinical decision-making on time availability or convenience; and pharmacological therapy was often inappropriate (eg, prescribing NSAIDs or corticosteroids for BTcP). The list of corrective actions generated by the scientific board favored a guideline-oriented approach that systematically characterizes oncological pain and implements treatment based on pain characteristics (eg, fast-acting transmucosal opioids for BTcP) and evidence-based recommendations.

conclusionOncologists require better education and training about the diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of oncological pain. Physicians should be aware of current guideline recommendations as well as available pharmacological tools for BTcP.

Indexed as

cancer paindigital medicinepain managementprecision medicine

Identifiers

PMID34234563
PMCPMC8256821
OpenAlexW3175863752

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.