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Pain in elderly hospitalized cancer patients with bone metastases in Norway
Karin Torvik1, Jacob Hølen, Stein Kaasa
1Department of Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway. karin.torvik@su.hio.no
Aim:
To examine differences in reported pain, pain management and satisfaction with pain management between middle-aged and elderly patients. The study also examined differences in global quality of life (QoL) and pain interference with patient function between middle-aged and elderly patients with bone metastases.
Method:
A one-day prevalence study was performed, targeting hospitalized cancer patients 18 years and over in Norwegian hospitals; 79 patients with bone metastases were included.
Results:
In total, 89% of patients reported daily pain, and there was no significant difference between the two age groups (p=0.52). Elderly patients reported significantly higher scores for 'worst pain' (p=0.036) and 'pain severity intensity' (p=0.027), but received strong opioids for their cancer pain significantly less often than middle-aged patients (p=0.024). We found a significant linear association between increasing age and decreasing scores on Cleeland's pain management index (p=0.002). There were no statistically significant differences between age groups in satisfaction with pain management, pain interference with functioning or global QoL.
Conclusion:
These results indicate that more focus is needed on pain management in elderly cancer patients with bone metastases.
