Characterizing Pain in Long-Term Survivors of Childhood Cancer
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2020-08-04
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Many long-term survivors of childhood cancer (LTSCCs) experience late- and long-term effects from their treatments, including pain. Yet, pain is poorly understood among LTSCCs. The current study aims to 1a) identify rates and patterns of chronic pain 1b) describe multiple dimensions of pain, and 2) test predictors of chronic pain in LTSCCs. Survivors [n=140; 48.6% male, Mage=17.3 years (SD=4.9)] were recruited from across Canada. Participants completed the Pain Questionnaire, Pain Catastrophizing Scale, Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, Patient Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) – Pain Interference, Anxiety, and Depression scales, Child Posttraumatic Stress Scale, the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for the DSM-V, and the Cancer Worry Scale. It was found that 26% of LTSCCs reported experiencing chronic pain. An exploratory cluster analysis revealed that 20% of survivors had a moderate to severe chronic pain problem based on measures of pain intensity and interference. The combination of anxiety, depression, PTSS, cancer worry, current age, age at diagnosis, pain catastrophizing, and sex significantly predicted the presence of chronic pain, χ2(8, N = 123) = 27.87, p < .001. Higher pain catastrophizing (OR = 1.09; 95% CI = 1.03-1.15) and older current age (OR = 1.13; 95% CI = 1.01-1.27) were significant predictors of chronic pain. LTSCCs should be screened for the presence and magnitude of chronic pain during their long-term follow-up visits so appropriate interventions can be discussed. Future research should investigate pain interventions tailored for this population.
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Patton, M. (2020). Characterizing Pain in Long-Term Survivors of Childhood Cancer (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.