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Management of neuropathic pain in children with cancer

Stefan J Friedrichsdorf1, Andrea Postier Nugent

  • 1Department of Pain Medicine, Palliative Care and Integrative Medicine, Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, Minnesota 55404, USA. stefan.friedrichsdorf@childrensMN.org

Current Opinion in Supportive and Palliative Care
|May 3, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric neuropathic pain in children with cancer is common and undertreated. Combining integrative, rehabilitative, and supportive therapies with medications like NSAIDs, opioids, and gabapentinoids shows promise, but more research is needed.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Oncology
  • Pain Management
  • Cancer Therapeutics

Background:

  • Neuropathic pain significantly impacts children with cancer.
  • Current pediatric treatment lacks randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and standardized recommendations.
  • Underassessment and undertreatment of this pain are prevalent issues.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review existing literature on pediatric neuropathic pain in cancer patients.
  • To describe common themes and treatment strategies.
  • To highlight the need for evidence-based guidelines.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of published studies.
  • Analysis of commonly employed treatment modalities.
  • Identification of gaps in current research.

Main Results:

  • Integrative, rehabilitative, and supportive therapies combined with pharmacotherapy are identified as potential strategies.
  • First-line medications include NSAIDs, opioids, low-dose tricyclics, and gabapentinoids.
  • A significant lack of high-quality evidence, particularly RCTs, exists.

Conclusions:

  • A multimodal approach combining pharmacotherapy and supportive care may be effective for pediatric cancer neuropathic pain.
  • There is an urgent need for robust clinical trials, especially RCTs, to guide treatment.
  • Further research is critical to improve pain management outcomes in this population.
Abstract

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