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Nonwhite Cancer Patients Experience High Levels of Consistent and Breakthrough Pain: Presented at WCP By Sara Freeman GLASGOW, United Kingdom -- August 25, 2008 -- People from nonwhite backgrounds who have advanced-stage cancers are more likely to experience consistent and breakthrough chronic pain than their white counterparts, according to the results of the first prospective longitudinal study with a diverse population of men and women with advanced cancer. "Results from this study demonstrate significant disparities in breakthrough pain based upon gender and ethnicity," said researchers Carmen R. Green, MD, and Tamera A. Hart-Johnson, MS, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, here at the 12th World Congress on Pain (WCP). "More specifically," they said, "nonwhites experienced significantly more symptoms, increased consistent pain, breakthrough pain, pain severity, and reduction in health-related quality of life than whites." The study, presented on August 20, involved 67 white and 29 nonwhite patients with stage III or IV breast, prostate, colorectal, or lung cancer, or stage II to IV multiple myeloma who had reported experiencing pain despite taking a stable analgesic regimen. Study subjects completed a variety of questionnaires at enrolment and again 3 to 6 months later. Assessments included the Brief Pain Inventory, the Pain Management Index, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, the John Henryism Active Coping Scales, the Barriers Questionnaire, and the European Organisation for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Survey. At baseline, higher levels of consistent and breakthrough pain were noted in nonwhite versus white patients, and in female versus male patients. Over time, the levels of both consistent and breakthrough pain decreased, but levels remained higher in nonwhite and female patients. The researchers report that consistent pain commonly affected the back in the non-midline (36% of patients), the spine (31% of patients), and the legs (28% of patients). The researchers noted that 54% of patients completed all assessments at 6 months, with 81% completing the 3-month and 93% the baseline evaluations. Drop out was mainly due to patient death or increasing severity of illness. "Although significant differences do not persist over time, it is plausible this is at least partially attributable to a falling sample size," they said. "Future studies should attempt to replicate our findings in a larger sample and understand the causal mechanisms for these disparities." [Presentation title: Consistent and Breakthrough Pain in Diverse Advanced Cancer Patients: A Longitudinal Examination. Abstract PT286] E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version