Cancer Pain Syndromes Flashcards
Acute pain with diagnostic procedures: Lumbar Puncture
Lumbar puncture headache
- Best characterised acute pain syndrome associated with a diagnostic intervention
- Believed to be due to reducing in CSF volume (ongoing leaking through the defect in the dural sheath) and compensatory expansion of the pain-sensitive intracerebral veins
Presentation
- Delayed development of a positional headache (worse when upright)
- Typically hours to days after the procedure
- Pain correlates to the calibre of the LP needle
- Dull, occipital dicomfort
- May radiate to the frontal region or the shoulders
- Associated with nausea and dizziness
- Duration is 1-7 days
Prevention
- Longitudinal insertion of the needle bevel to induce less trauma to the longitudinal elastic fibres in the dura (if patient is lateral recumbant, bevel up, if patient is sitting, bevel pointed laterally)
- Use of non-traumatic, conical tipped needles with a lateral opening
- Recumbency after LP (controversial)
Management
- Rest, hydration, analgesics
- Epidural blood patch if persistent
- IV or oral caffeine
Acute pain with diagnostic procedures: Transthoracic needle biopsy
Severe pain may occur if the underlying diagnosis is a neurogenic tumour
Otherwise, not typically a harmful/painful procedure
Acute pain with diagnostic procedures: Transrectal prostatic biopsy
Transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsy has a low rate of severe pain, but may occur in slightly less than 20% of patients
- If present, pain may persist up to 4 weeks after biopsy
Prevention:
- Periprostatic lidocaine infiltration
- Intrarectal introduction of 2% lidocaine cream
- Unilateral pudendal nerve block
Acute pain with diagnostic procedures: Mammography
- Pain related to breast compression, may be moderate or rarely severe
- Typically of short duration
- Requires that it be addressed appropriately or patients may refuse future mammograms
Prevention:
- Reduce compression or allow patient-controlled compression
Acute pain with therapeutic interventions: Postoperative pain
- Essentially universal without adequate treatment
- Post op pain that exceed normal duration or severity should prompt evaluation for possibility of infection or other complications
Acute pain with therapeutic interventions: Radiofrequency tumour ablation
- Most commonly used for liver mets, but also adrenal, renal, lung, bone, and breast.
- Percutaneous ablation of liver tumours may be associated with severe RUQ pain, may radiate to the right shoulder
Acute pain with therapeutic interventions: Cryosurgery
- Most commonly for skin, cervical, and prostatic tumours
- Local painful reaction that decreases in severity over 2-7 days
Cervical
- Acute, cramping pain syndrome
- Severity related to duration of the freeze period
- Not diminished by prophylactic NSAIDs
Prostate
- Uncommonly, may result in persistent pain (?consider abscess formation
Acute pain with analgesic techniques: Local anesthetic
- Intradermal and subcutaneous infiltration of lidocaine produces transient burning before onset of analgesia
Prevention:
- Buffered solutions
- Warming the solution
- Note that slower injection does not diminish injection pain
Acute pain with analgesic techniques: Opioid inection pain
- IM and subcut injections can be painful
- IM injection is not recommended if repetitive dosing is required
- SC injection pain is influenced by volume injected and chemical characteristics
Acute pain with analgesic techniques: Opioid headache
- Rarely - reproducible generalised headache after opioid administration
- May be due to opioid-induced histamine release
Acute pain with analgesic techniques: Spinal opioid hyperalgesia syndrome
- Intrathecal/epidural injection of high opioid doses may be complicated by pain (typically perineal, buttock, or leg), hyperalgesia, segmental myoclonus, piloerection, and priapism
- Resolves with discontinuation of the infusion
Acute pain with analgesic techniques: Spinal Injection pain
- Back, pelvic, or leg pain that may occur due to epidural injection or infusion
- Incidence as much as 20%
- May be due to compression of an adjacent nerve root by the injected fluid or pericatheter fibrosis in the case of intrathecal injections
Acute pain with chemotherapy infusion: Intravenous infusion pain
Common issue. Pain syndromes related to IV infusion of chemotherapy:
- Venous spasm (pain not associated with inflammation, may be modified by a warm compress or rate of infusion)
- Chemical phlebitis (especially with potassium, vinorelbine - manifests as linear erythema)
- Vesicant extravasation (intense pain, followed by desquamation and ulceration)
- Anthracycline-associated flare (e.g. with doxorubicin - local urticaria and occasional pain or stinging)
Acute pain with chemotherapy infusion: Hepatic artery infusion pain
- Cytotoxic drugs can be infused directly into the hepatic artery for patients with liver mets
- Often associated with the development of diffuse abdo pain, may lead to persistent pain if there is a continuous infusion
- Normally, resolves with discontinuation of the infusion but complications can occur
- May be possible to reduce the dose/rate of the infusion
Complications:
- Gastric ulceration or erosions
- Cholangitis
Acute pain with chemotherapy infusion: Intraperitoneal chemotherapy pain
Presentation
- Transient mild abdo pain, associated with sensations of fullness or bloating after intraperitoneal chemo (25% incidence)
- Moderate or severe pain requiring opioids or cessation of tx (25% incidence), usually due to chemical serositis or infection, but may be due to abdo distention or intercostal nerve irritation
Always consider infectious peritonitis if there is pain associated with fever and leukocytosis
Acute pain with chemotherapy infusion: Intravesical chemo or immunotherapy
Intravesicular BCG therapy for transitional cell ca of the bladder typically leads to transient bladder irritability syndrome
Symptoms:
- Frequency
- Micturition pain
More rarely, can lead to polyarthritis or full blown Reiter’s syndrome, or localised regional or systemic infections with abscess formation
Intravesicular doxorubicin may lead to chemical cystitis
Acute pain with chemotherapy toxicity: Mucositis
- Common with myeloablative chemo and radiation for BMT
- Less common with standard intensity therapy
Most common agents:
- Cytarabine
- Doxorubicin
- Etoposide
- 5-FU
- Methotrexate
Increased risk with:
- Pretreatment oral pathology
- Poor dental hygenie
- Youth (?higher epithelial mitotic rate)
May be complicated by infection, especially candida albicans and herpes simplex in neutropenic patients
Acute pain with chemotherapy toxicity: Steroid-induced perineal discomfort
- Transient burning sensation in the perineum is described by some patients following rapid infusion of large doses of dex (e.g. 20-100mg)
- Severity is variable
- Prevent with slower infusion
Acute pain with chemotherapy toxicity: Steroid withdrawal pseudorheumatism
- Diffuse myalgias, arthralgias, and tender muscles and joints
- Occurs with either rapid or slow tapers and may occur i patients taking drugs for long or short periods of time
Treatment
- Restart steroids at previous dose and taper more slowly
Acute pain with chemotherapy toxicity: Painful peripheral neuropathy
Associated agents:
- Vinca alkaloids (vincristine, vinorelbine)
- Cisplatin
- Oxaliplatin
- Paclitaxel
Presentation
- May be acute
- Distribution depends on agent
Vincristine: Orofacial pain in distribution of trigeminal and glossopharyngeal nerve (typically self limiting, lasting for 1-3 days only)
Vinorelbine: Mild paraesthesias in 20% (severe neuropathy is rare)
Paclitaxel: Dose related, subacute in onset, resolution after completion of therapy in most (not all) cases
Oxaliplatin: Acute neurotoxicity (paraesthesias and dysesthesias of the hands, feet, perioral region, as well as muscle cramps)
Vinorelbine neuropathy
Vinorelbine: Mild paraesthesias in 20% (severe neuropathy is rare)
Paclitaxel neuropathy
Paclitaxel: Dose related, subacute in onset, resolution after completion of therapy in most (not all) cases
Oxaliplatin neuropathy
Oxaliplatin: Acute neurotoxicity (paraesthesias and dysesthesias of the hands, feet, perioral region, as well as muscle cramps)
May be transient, but can persist as a cumulative toxicity
Vincristine neuropathy
Vincristine: Orofacial pain in distribution of trigeminal and glossopharyngeal nerve (typically self limiting, lasting for 1-3 days only)
Acute pain with chemotherapy toxicity: Intrathecal methotrexate
- Intrathecal methotrexate used for leukemia or leptomeningeal mets
- Produces acute meningitic syndrome in 5-50% (HA is a prominent symptom), associated with nausea, vomiting, nuchal rigidity, fever, irritability, and lethargy
- Symptoms begin hours after treatment and persist for several days
Increased risk:
- Multiple intrathecal injections
- Treatment for leptomeningeal mets
Tends not to recur with subsequent injections
Acute pain with chemotherapy toxicity: L-asparaginase
- Systemic administration of L-asparaginase for acute lymphoblastic leukemia may cause a thrombosis of cerebral veins or dural sinuses (1-2% of patients)
- HA is most common initial symptom, also seizures, hemiparesis, delirium, vomiting, or cranial nerve palsies
- Diagnosis is with MRI (likely MRA?)
Acute pain with chemotherapy toxicity: Transretinoic acid therapy
- Trans-retinoic acid therapy is used in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APML)
- May cause severe headache (pseudotumour cerebri induced by hypervitaminosis A)
- May also produce a syndrome of diffuse bone pain (may be due to marrow expansion). Pain is generalised, of variable intensity, and associated with transient neutrophilia
Acute pain with chemotherapy toxicity: Taxol-induced myalgia/arthralgia
Paclitaxel
- Diffuse arthralgias and myalgias in 10-20% of patients
- Related to individual doses, while cumulative dose/infusion duration has a less clear relationship
Presentation:
- Diffuse pain in joints and muscle 1-2 days after the infusion, lasting for median of 4-5 days
- Pain commonly located in back, hips, shoulders, thighs, legs, feet
- Exacerbated by weight bearing, walking, or tactile contact
May be prevented by steroids
Acute pain with chemotherapy toxicity: 5-FU anginal chest pain
- Patients receiving 5-FU may develop ischemic chest pain
- Risk is felt to range between 2-20%, risk higher with continuous infusion than with bolus therapy, and risk is higher in those with pre existing CAD
- Likely due to coronary vasospasm
- Similar reports with capecitabine (5-FU prodrug)
Acute pain with chemotherapy toxicity: Hand food syndrome
Hand food syndrome (aka palmar planter erythrodysesthesia)
Associated with:
- 5-FU continuous infusion
- Capecitabine
- Liposomal doxorubicin
- Paclitaxel
- Sorafenib and sunitinib
- Everolimus
Presentation:
- Tingling or burning sensation in the palms and soles, followed by development of an erythematous rash
Management
- Discontinue therapy or dose reduce
- Treatment with pyridoxine for resolution of the lesions
Acute pain with chemotherapy or hormonal toxicity: Gynecomastia
- Painful gynecomastia can occur as a delayed complication of chemotherapy
- Testicular cancer is the most common underlying cancer, but others may be associated as well
- May also be seen with anti-androgen therapies for prostate cancer (most commonly associated with bicalutamide)
Presentation
- Post-chemo, typically develops after latency of 2-9 months
- Resolves spontaneously within a few months (but may occasional persist)
Acute pain with chemotherapy toxicity: Chemotherapy induced acute digital ischemia
Raynaud’s or transient ischemia of the toes, some case reports of gangrene
Associated agents: - Bleomycin - Vinblastine - Cisplatin (combo of three used for testicular cancer)
Acute pain with chemotherapy toxicity: Chemotherapy induced tumour pain
- Associated with vinorelbine (7%)
- Pain begins within a few minutes of infusion, moderate to severe, and requires analgesia
Prevention: Ketorolac may be helpful
Acute pain with hormonal therapy: LHRH tumour flare in prostate cancer
- Initiation of LHRH agonist therapy for prostate cancer produces transient symptoms in 5-20% of patients
- Short term, creates a transient increase in LH/testosterone, then suppresses levels
Presentation:
- Exacerbation of bone pain or urinary retention
- Case reports of cord compression and sudden death
- Occurs within first week of therapy, lasts 1-3 weeks in absence of an androgen antagonist
Prevention:
- Co-administration of an androgen antagonist
Acute pain with hormonal therapy: Hormone induced pain flare in breast cancer
- Initiation of any hormonal therapy for metastatic breast cancer can be complicated by a sudden onset of diffuse MSK pain
Presentation
- Onset within hours to weeks of initiation of therapy
- Erythema around cutaneous mets
- Changes to LFTs
- Hypercalcemia
- Increased PET avidity
Mechanism not understood, but may be predictive of later tumour response to hormonal therapy
Acute pain with hormonal therapy: Aromatase inhibitor induced arthralgias
- AIs may cause multifocal arthralgias in 10-20% of patients
Presentation:
- Early morning stiffness and hand/wrist pain
- Variable intensity, may interfere with activity
Management
- Occasionally severe enough to justify discontinuation
- NSAIDs often poorly effective
- May be associated with osteoporosis - vit D and targeted therapies being investigated
Acute pain with Immunotherapy: Interferon-induced acute pain
- Essentially all patients treated with interferon experience acute syndrome
Presentation
- Fever
- Chills
- Myalgias
- Arthralgias
- Headache
Onset is shortly after initial dosing, typically improves with continued administration
Prevention:
- Premedicate with acetaminophen
Acute pain with bisphosphonates: Bone Pain
Infusion with IV bisphosphonates may be associated with multifocal bone pain and/or myalgia
Occurs within 24 hours of infusion, may last up to 3 days
Variable, may be severe and require analgesia
Self-limiting
Acute pain associated with growth factors
Typically from GCSF or Granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GMCSF)
Presentation
- Mild to mod bone pain
- Constitutional symptoms (fever, headache, myalgias) during administration
- Pain intensity variable, may be severe
Management
- Co-administration with dex
Acute pain associated with radiotherapy
- Incident pain during transport and positioning
- Acute radiation toxicity (inflammation and ulceration of skin or mucous membranes)
- Window specific
Acute pain associated with radiotherapy: Oropharyngeal mucositis
- Invariable at doses above 1000cGy
- Severity of oral pain is variable, but may impact PO intake
- May last several weeks post treatment
Acute pain associated with radiotherapy: Acute radiation enteritis and procotocolitis
- Incidence as high as 50% in patients receiving abdominal/pelvic rads
Presentation:
- Small intestine - cramping, nausea, diarrhea
- Proctocolitis - tenesmal pain, diarrhea, mucous discharge, bleeding
Self-limited, typically resolves after completion but may slowly resolve over 2-6 months
Acute enteritis increases risk of late-onset radiation enteritis
Acute pain associated with radiotherapy: Early- onset brachial plexopathy
- Seen in breast CA patients after rads to the chest wall and adjacent nodal areas, as well as Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Transient, self-limiting
Presentations:
- Paresthesias in brachial distribution
- Pain and weakness (less common)
Not predictive of delayed onset, progressive plexopathy
Acute pain associated with radiotherapy: Subacute radiation myelopathy
- Uncommon, may occur following rads to extra spinal tumours
- Seen in Head and Neck cancers and with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
Presentation:
- Lhermitte’s sign (shock like pains in the neck precipitated by neck flexion)
- Pain may radiate down spine, into extremities
- Onset weeks to months post rads, then resolves over 3-6 months
Acute pain associated with radiotherapy: Radiotherapy induced pain flare
- Palliative rads to bony mets can lead to a pain flare in 30-40% immediately post rads
- Occurs 1-2 days post rads, then typically resolves after 3-5 days
- May be predictive of good analgesic response to rads
Prevention:
- Single 8mg dose of dex prior to rads (reduces severity and incidence)
Acute pain associated with herpetic neuralgia
- Higher incidence in cancer patients, especially in heme malignancies and those on immunosuppressive therapies
Presentation
- Continuous or lancinating pain
- Typically resolves within 2 months, otherwise considered post-herpetic neuralgia (more likely in disseminated infection)
- Dermatomal location of correlates with the site of malignancy
Acute pain associated with vascular events: Acute thrombosis
- Thrombosis is a frequent complication and cause of death in malignancy
- Due to prothrombotic factors in cancer (tumour cells, products interacting with platelets/coagulation)
- Highest association with bone, ovary, brain, and pancreas