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Which factors can aid clinicians to identify a risk of pain during the following month in patients with bone metastases? A longitudinal analyses

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Abstract

Purpose

Explore clinical factors associated with higher pain intensity and future pain in patients with bone metastases to identify patients who can benefit from closer follow-up or pain-modifying interventions.

Methods

This is a secondary analysis of 606 patients with bone metastases included in a multicenter longitudinal study. The dependent variables were “average pain” and “worst pain” in the last 24 h (0–10 NRS). Twenty independent variables with potential association to pain intensity were selected based on previous literature. Cross-sectional analyses were performed with multiple linear regression to explore factors associated with pain intensity at baseline. Longitudinal data were analyzed with a generalized equation models to explore current factors associated with pain intensity at the next visit in 1 month.

Results

Current pain intensity (p < 0.001), sleep disturbances (p 0.01 and 0.006), drowsiness (p 0.003 and 0.033) and male gender (p 0.045 and 0.001) were associated with higher average and worst pain intensity in 1 month. In addition, breakthrough pain was related to higher worst pain intensity (p 0.003) in 1 month. The same variables were also associated with higher average pain intensity at baseline.

Conclusion

Higher current pain intensity, sleep disturbances, drowsiness, male gender, and breakthrough pain are factors associated with higher pain intensity in patients with bone metastases at the next follow-up in 1 month. These factors should be assessed in clinical practice and may aid clinicians in identifying patients that can benefit from closer follow-up or interventions to prevent lack of future pain control.

Trial registration in clinicaltrials.gov

NCT01362816.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Central Norway Regional Health Authority (grant no. 46055100), the Cancer Foundation St Olavs Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital (grant no. 6070), the Liaison Committee for Education, Research and Innovation in Central Norway, and an unrestricted grant from the Helsinn Group, Switzerland.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. European Palliative Care Research Centre (PRC), Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology and St. Olavs hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway

    Ragnhild Habberstad, C. Brunelli, S. Kaasa & P. Klepstad

  2. Cancer Clinic, St. Olavs hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway

    Ragnhild Habberstad

  3. European Palliative Care Research Centre (PRC), Department of Oncology, Oslo University Hospital and Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    M. J. Hjermstad

  4. Palliative Care, Pain Therapy and Rehabilitation Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy

    C. Brunelli

  5. Department of Oncology, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    S. Kaasa

  6. Academic Unit of Palliative Care, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

    M. I. Bennett

  7. End-of-life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) & Ghent University, Brussels, Belgium

    K. Pardon

  8. Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

    P. Klepstad

  9. Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway

    P. Klepstad

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  1. Ragnhild Habberstad
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  2. M. J. Hjermstad
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  4. S. Kaasa
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  5. M. I. Bennett
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Correspondence to Ragnhild Habberstad.

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Conflicts of interest

Kaasa S. hold stocks in EIR Solutions A/S. The other authors have no conflicts of interest.

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Habberstad, R., Hjermstad, M.J., Brunelli, C. et al. Which factors can aid clinicians to identify a risk of pain during the following month in patients with bone metastases? A longitudinal analyses. Support Care Cancer 27, 1335–1343 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-018-4405-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-018-4405-9

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