Assessment of pain during head and neck irradiation

Radiation therapy for patients with head and neck malignancies frequently results in painful mucositis, which is usually poorly controlled with standard analgesics or topical anesthetics. To better understand the temporal development of radiation-induced pain and the effects of this pain on activities of daily living, 14 patients undergoing radiation therapy for a newly diagnosed head and neck malignancy completed daily pain diaries during the course of irradiation. All patients developed painful mucositis, usually beginning during the second or third week of radiation. Despite the use of analgesics/anesthetics, pain was rated as moderate or severe on 37% of treatment days and was noted to be constant or present throughout most of the day on 58% of treatment days. Eating and sleep disturbances related to pain occurred on 55% and 34% of treatment days, respectively. Eight patients had greater than a 2-kg weight loss. Radiation induces a predictable pattern of pain and comorbidity, which may be amenable to earlier and more aggressive analgesic treatment.