GLASGOW, Scotland, June 10, 2010 /PRNewswire/ --
- Experts concerned that inadequate treatment strategies make
cancer patients suffer unnecessarily
Further results from the European Survey of Breakthrough Cancer
Pain(1) were presented for the first time today at the 6th Research
Congress of the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) in
Glasgow.
The survey, which is the first international survey to look in
detail at breakthrough cancer pain (BTCP) from a patient
perspective, show that up to 45% of cancer patients experiencing
breakthrough pain do not adhere to medication despite suffering
from devastating episodes.
"The low adherence to drug therapy is a remarkable discovery and
demonstrates that current treatments aren't adequately meeting
patients' needs during these incapacitating episodes of pain,"
explained Dr. Andrew Davies,
Department of Palliative Medicine, Royal Marsden Hospital, UK and
the principal investigator of this survey.
The survey, moreover, found that up to 50% of patients seek
additional help from non-pharmacological methods such as heat,
positional changes and rest demonstrating the need for improved
pain relief. When asked about the ideal BTCP medication, patients
wanted (in order of ranking)
- A medication that relieves the pain completely
- A medication that relieves the pain quickly
- A medication that causes few side effects
- A medication that is easy to use
- A medication that can be given by a relative/carer
However, the results of the survey show that patients are not
given a medication that matches these needs. 90% of patients were
receiving oral opioids to manage their breakthrough pain. Studies
have shown that the median interval from onset to peak intensity of
the typical BTCP episode is only three minutes(2) and that the
average episode lasts between 30-60 minutes (3, 4). The time to
peak analgesic effect of oral opioids is documented to be
approximately 60-90 minutes(5), long after a majority of the
episodes have ended.
"Breakthrough pain is a distinct problem, and requires specific
interventions including rescue medications that have an
appropriately fast onset of action. Unfortunately, many patients
are being treated with medications that are more suited to the
management of persistent pain, and so are not receiving the most
appropriate treatment for their breakthrough pain.," said Dr.
Andrew Davies.
A systematic literature review conducted with the purpose of
assessing and classifying cancer breakthrough pain on behalf of the
European Palliative Care Research Collaborative (EPCRC)(6) likewise
concludes that variations in cancer pain intensity are highly
prevalent, yet the phenomenon is not well understood.
"There is no widely accepted definition, classification system
or well-validated assessment tool for cancer-related breakthrough
pain, but there is strong concurrence on most of its key
attributes. An internationally agreed upon definition and
classification system for cancer-related breakthrough pain, and a
standard approach on how to measure it is required in order to
improve patient care and support research in this poor-prognosis
cancer pain syndrome," said co-author, Professor Stein Kaasa, Chair of the European Association
for Palliative Care Research Network (EAPC RN), principal
investigator of the European Palliative Care Research Collaborative
(EPCRC) and chair of the European Palliative Care Research Centre
(PRC).
About Nycomed
Nycomed is a privately owned global pharmaceutical company with
a differentiated portfolio focused on branded medicines in
gastroenterology, respiratory and inflammatory diseases, pain,
osteoporosis and tissue management. An extensive range of OTC
products completes the portfolio. Its R&D is built to be open
for partnerships as in-licensing is a cornerstone in the company's
growth strategy.
Nycomed employs 12,000 associates worldwide, and its products
are available in more than 100 countries. It has strong platforms
in Europe and in fast-growing
markets such as Russia/CIS, and
Latin America. While the US and
Japan are commercialised through
best-in-class partners, Nycomed will further strengthen its
position in key Asian markets.
Headquartered in Zurich,
Switzerland, the company generated in 2009 total sales of
EUR3.2 billion and an adjusted EBITDA
of EUR1.1 billion.
For more information please visit http://www.nycomed.com
Background Pain vs. Breakthrough Pain
- Background pain - "constant or continuous pain of long duration"(7)
- Breakthrough pain - "a transient exacerbation of pain that
occurs either spontaneously, or in relation to a specific
predictable or unpredictable trigger, despite relatively stable and
adequately controlled background pain"(8)
About the survey
- Combined results of an ongoing, multicentre observational survey
- Interim results from nine palliative care centres in UK,
Sweden, Denmark, Germany
- 320 patients with breakthrough cancer pain
- Data collected on breakthrough cancer pain and treatment of
breakthrough cancer pain
- The European Survey of Breakthrough Cancer Pain is continuing
to recruit patients in Ireland,
Austria, Belgium, Czech
Republic, Finland,
France, Greece, the
Netherlands, Norway,
Portugal, Spain and Switzerland
- The survey is supported by an educational grant from
Nycomed
References
1. Davies A et al. The Impact of Living with Breakthrough Cancer
Pain - Results of a European Survey of Oncology Patients. Data
presented at EAPC 2010.
2. Portenoy RK et al. Breakthrough pain characteristics and
impact in patients with cancer pain. Pain. 1999;81:129-34.
3. Gomez-Batiste X et al. Breakthrough cancer pain: prevalence
and characteristics in patients in Catalonia, Spain. J Pain Symptom Manage.
2002;24:45-52.
4. Davies A et al. European survey of oncology patients'
experience of breakthrough cancer pain: UK, SE and DK results.
Poster presented at EFIC 2009.
5. Davies A et al. The management of cancer-related breakthrough
pain: Recommendations of a task group of the Science Committee of
the Association for Palliative Medicine of Great Britain and Ireland. European Journal of Pain
2009;13:331-338.
6. Haugen et al. Assessment and classification of cancer
breakthrough pain: A systematic literature review. Pain.
2010;149;3:476-482.
7. Ferrell BR et al. Use of routine and breakthrough analgesia
in home care. Oncology Nursing Forum, 1999; 26, 1655-61.
8. Davies A et al. The management of cancer-related breakthrough
pain: recommendations of a task group of the Science Committee of
the Association for Palliative Medicine of Great Britain and Ireland. European Journal of Pain 2009; 13(4):
331-8.
Code: UK/IN/10/106; Date of prep: June
2010
SOURCE Nycomed