Frequency, Characteristics, and Correlates of Pain in a Pilot Study of Colorectal Cancer Survivors 1–10 Years Post‐Treatment

Objective The long‐term effects of disease and treatment in colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors are poorly understood. This study examined the prevalence and characteristics of pain in a sample of CRC survivors up to 10 years post‐treatment. Design One hundred cancer‐free CRC survivors were randomly c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) Mass.), 2013-11, Vol.14 (11), p.1673-1680
Main Authors: Lowery, Amy E., Starr, Tatiana, Dhingra, Lara K., Rogak, Lauren, Hamrick‐Price, Julie R., Farberov, Maria, Kirsh, Kenneth L., Saltz, Leonard B., Breitbart, William S., Passik, Steven D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Chronic Pain - epidemiology
Chronic Pain - etiology
Chronic Pain - psychology
Colorectal Cancer
Colorectal Neoplasms - complications
Female
Humans
Male
Medical research
Middle Aged
Pain
Pain Interference
Pilot Projects
Prevalence
Quality of Life
Surveys and Questionnaires
Survivor
Survivors - psychology
Survivors - statistics & numerical data
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Summary:Objective The long‐term effects of disease and treatment in colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors are poorly understood. This study examined the prevalence and characteristics of pain in a sample of CRC survivors up to 10 years post‐treatment. Design One hundred cancer‐free CRC survivors were randomly chosen from an institutional database and completed a telephone survey using the Brief Pain Inventory, Neuropathic Pain Questionnaire‐Short Form, Quality of Life Cancer Survivor Summary, Brief Zung Self‐Rating Depression Scale, Zung Self‐Rating Anxiety Scale, and Fear of Recurrence Questionnaire. Results Participants were primarily Caucasian (90%) married (69%) males (53.5%) with a mean age of 64.7 years. Chronic pain was reported in 23% of CRC survivors, with a mean moderate intensity rating (mean = 6.05, standard deviation = 2.66) on a 0–10 rating scale. Over one‐third (39%) of those with pain attributed it to their cancer or treatment. Chi‐square and t‐test analyses showed that survivors with pain were more likely to be female, have lower income, be more depressed and more anxious, and show a higher endorsement of suicidal ideation than CRC survivors without chronic pain. On average, pain moderately interfered with daily activity. Conclusions Chronic pain is likely a burdensome problem for a small but not inconsequential minority of CRC survivors requiring a biopsychosocial treatment approach to improve recognition and treatment. Open dialogue between clinicians and survivors about physical and emotional symptoms in long‐term follow‐up is highly recommended.
ISSN:1526-2375
1526-4637
DOI:10.1111/pme.12223