Evaluating Pain Management among Cancer Patients in a Chemotherapy Center

Background and Considering the importance of pain management in cancer patients, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of pain, its severity, analgesics used to control pain, and the extent of pain control in cancer patients attending a medical center in North of Iran.
One hundred cancer patients attending Ramsar Imam Sajjad Hospital (2015) were prospectively enrolled in the study. Clinical and demographic data and all analgesics used were recorded. Pain intensity were determined based on the Numeric Rating Scale from 0 (pain-free) to 10 (the most severe pain ever experienced) in two sequential visits, 3 weeks apart.
The average age of participants was 54.7±3 years. NSAIDs (98 cases, 98%) and opioids (49 cases, 49%) were the most common analgesics prescribed. Among opioids, codeine (67.3%) and morphine (24.5%) were used more frequently. The pain score was 3.94±0.342 at first visit and 3.65±.316 following analgesic use (P=0.002). For opioid users, the pain scores were 4.29±0.53 and 3.84±0.506, respectively (P=0.007).
The pain scores statistically reduced, however, the decrease was not clinically prominent since the pain severity was between 3 and 4 in NRS scale. More attention to pain control is recommended in cancer patients while considering the standard pain management guidelines.