Background: No study has so far addressed whether differences do exist in the management of cancer pain between patients receiving usual care by primary specialists and those receiving early palliative/supportive intervention. Patients and methods: A multicentre cross-sectional study in 32 Italian Hospitals has included 1450 patients, receiving analgesic therapy for cancer pain: 602 with access to primary specialist alone (standard care, SC) and 848 with early access to a palliative/supportive care (ePSC) team, concomitant with primary oncology care. Results: Statistically significant differences in the analgesic drug administration according to care model have been evident: non-opioids were more frequently used in SC (9.5% versus 2%; P < 0.001), while strong opioids in ePSC group (80% versus 63%; P < 0.001). The number of patients with severe pain was lower in ePSC compared with SC group (31% versus 17%; P < 0.001). Results of multivariate analysis have shown that ePSC integrated with primary oncologic care (relative risk 0.69; 95% confidence interval 0.48-0.99; P = 0.045) was an independent factor associated with a 31% reduced risk of suffering from severe pain. Conclusions: An ePSC team provides the most effective standard of analgesic therapy for cancer pain. A randomized clinical trial is needed to confirm these findings. © The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology. All rights reserved.
CITATION STYLE
Bandieri, E., Sichetti, D., Romero, M., Fanizza, C., Belfiglio, M., Buonaccorso, L., … Luppi, M. (2012). Impact of early access to a palliative/supportive care intervention on pain management in patients with cancer. Annals of Oncology, 23(8), 2016–2020. https://doi.org/10.1093/annonc/mds103
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