The use of pain descriptors in cancer patients

Verbal descriptions of pain contribute to the understanding of a patient's pain experience. The aim of this study was to identify typical pain descriptors used by Norwegian cancer patients and the possible relationships among these verbal descriptors, pain intensity, and quality of pain. A one-day prevalence study targeting hospitalized cancer patients in Norway was performed. A questionnaire based on the Brief Pain Inventory was used, and additional information regarding pain descriptors and changes in skin sensibility was included. Of the 453 included patients, 97% managed to describe their pain with one of the 12 descriptors available. "Aching" was the single most frequently used descriptor (n=271). Of these patients, 201 reported altered skin sensibility in the area of pain. The descriptor "piercing" and the number of descriptors used by each patient were significantly related to high pain intensity. No clear clustering was found between the descriptors, but typical neuropathic descriptors were significantly correlated with altered skin sensibility. The findings suggest that Norwegian cancer patients effortlessly use several pain descriptors, and "aching" is most frequently used. Although the verbal descriptors provide valuable information regarding the pain experience, it is not possible to differentiate pain mechanisms simply based on pain descriptors.