Pain in older survivors of hematologic malignancies after blood or marrow transplantation: A BMTSS report

Palliative Care Referral in Adult Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplants: An Integrative Literature Review

Context: Hematologic malignancies are often unpredictable, aggressive, and may require treatments such as hematopoietic stem cell transplants (HSCT). Although morbidity and mortality are significantly amplified during the HSCT process, palliative care (PC) services are historically underutilized by HSCT providers for issues such as symptom management, prognosis understanding, goals of care, and advanced care planning. Objective: This review aimed to assess the impact of PC on the adult HSCT standard of care and examine the effects on patients' quality of life during the acute phase of allogeneic HSCT. Methodology: We conducted an integrative literature search through PubMed and CINAHL databases and utilized the PRISMA guidelines for formal review. The authors reviewed a total of 19 full-text articles. Results: Four major themes were generated from a review of the evidence: (1) Physical and Psychosocial HSCT symptoms, (2) Misconceptions of PC, (3) PC Integration on Quality of Life, and (4) Early PC integration and HSCT recipients. The consensus suggests that interdisciplinary PC during HSCT enhances the quality of care. Conclusion: Discussion of this evidence further exemplifies the need to identify unmet palliative needs earlier so that PC may be integrated before the severe consequences of HSCT. Future work should focus on investigating and evaluating effective and efficient integration of HSCT and PC specialties to optimize the quality of care.

Perceptions of prescription opioids among marginalized patients with hematologic malignancies in the context of the opioid epidemic: a qualitative study

PURPOSE

Opioids are essential for treating pain in hematologic malignancies (HM), yet are heavily stigmatized in the era of the opioid epidemic. Stigma and negative attitudes towards opioids may contribute to poorly managed cancer pain. We aimed to understand patient attitudes towards opioids for HM pain management, particularly among historically marginalized populations.

METHODS

We interviewed a convenience sample of 20 adult patients with HM during outpatient visits at an urban academic medical center. Semi-structured interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and qualitatively analyzed using the framework method.

RESULTS

Among 20 participants, 12 were female and half were Black. Median age was 62 (interquartile range = 54-68). HM diagnoses included multiple myeloma (n = 10), leukemia (n = 5), lymphoma (n = 4), and myelofibrosis (n = 1). Eight themes emerged from interviews that seemed to influence HM-related pain self-management, including (1) fear of opioid-related harms, (2) opioid side effects and harms to health, (3) fatalism and stoicism, (4) perceived value of opioids for HM-related pain, (5) low perceived susceptibility to opioid-related harms and externalizing blame, (6) preferences for non-opioid pain management approaches, (7) trust in providers and opioid accessibility, and (8) external sources of pain management support and information.

CONCLUSIONS

This qualitative study demonstrates that fears and stigmatized views of opioids can conflict with marginalized patients' needs to manage debilitating HM-related pain. Negative attitudes towards opioids were shaped by the opioid epidemic and reduced willingness to seek out or use analgesics.

IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS

These findings help expose patient-level barriers to optimal HM pain management, revealing attitudes, and knowledge to be targeted by future pain management interventions in HM.

Feasibility and preliminary efficacy of the Balance Program to reduce pain-related disability in pediatric sickle cell disease

BACKGROUND

Sickle cell disease (SCD) pain is associated with functional impairment, and treatment is often limited to pharmacological approaches with unwanted side effects. Although behavioral interventions exist for non-SCD pain populations, interventions designed to address pain-related impairment in SCD are lacking.

METHODS

Twenty youth (9-17 years) with SCD completed a four-week telemedicine pain intervention (NCT04388241). Participants and caregivers completed baseline and post-intervention PROMIS pain measures and the Treatment Evaluation Inventory-Short Form (TEI-SF). Descriptive analyses assessed feasibility and acceptability. Reliable Change Index analyses assessed for significant post-intervention changes in pain functioning. Paired t test analyses compared baseline and post-intervention opioid prescription fills.

RESULTS

All participants completed at least one treatment session. Eighteen (90%) youth completed all sessions. Youth (100%) and caregivers (94%) rated the intervention as moderately or highly acceptable on the TEI-SF. Forty-seven percent of caregivers and 44% of youth reported reliably significant improvements in pain interference after the intervention (median T-score differences: 24.8 and 23.5, respectively). Sixty-five percent of caregivers (T-score improvement difference: 19.3) and 31% of youth (T-score improvement difference: 32) reported improvements in pain behaviors. There was no significant difference in opioid prescription fills pre- and post-intervention (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The Balance Program is feasible, highly acceptable, and can be delivered remotely to reduce barriers to care. Approximately half of youth and caregivers reported significant declines in pain interference following the intervention, with substantial improvements in functioning for treatment responders. Behavioral pain interventions are important adjunctive treatments to uniquely address functional impairment associated with acute and chronic pain in SCD.

Patterns of prescription opioid use and opioid-related harms among adult patients with hematologic malignancies

INTRODUCTION

Treatment advances for hematologic malignancies (HM) have dramatically improved life expectancy, necessitating greater focus on long-term cancer pain management. This study explored real-world patterns of opioid use among patients with HM.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study identified adults diagnosed with HM from January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2019 using the Truven MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters database. Across several HM types, we described rates of high-risk opioid use (based on Pharmacy Quality Alliance measures) and opioid-related harms, including incident opioid use disorder (OUD) diagnoses and opioid-related hospitalizations or emergency department (ED) visits. We used multivariable Cox regression to generate adjusted hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals comparing the risk of opioid-related harms between patients with versus without high-risk opioid use.

RESULTS

Our sample included 43,190 patients with HM. Median age at HM diagnosis was 54 years (interquartile range  =  44-60). Most patients (61.9%) were diagnosed with lymphoma. Approximately half (49.2%) had an opioid dispensed in the follow-up period. Among all patients, 20.0% met criteria for high-risk opioid use, 0.9% had an OUD diagnosis, and 0.3% experienced an opioid-related hospitalization/ED visit in follow-up. High-risk opioid use increased the risk of an OUD diagnosis by 3.3 times (p < 0.0001) and an opioid-related hospitalization/ED visit 4.2 times (p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION

High-risk opioid use was prevalent among patients with HM and significantly increased the risk of opioid-related harms. However, rates of opioid-related harms were low. These findings highlight the importance of continually monitoring pain and opioid use throughout HM survivorship to provide safe, effective HM pain management.

Feasibility of implementing a supervised telehealth exercise intervention in frail survivors of hematopoietic cell transplantation: a pilot randomized trial

BACKGROUND

Patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) are at high risk of chronic health complications, including frailty and physical dysfunction. Conventional exercise programs have been shown to improve frailty in other cancer populations, but these have largely been based out of rehabilitation facilities that may act as geographic and logistical barriers. There is a paucity of information on the feasibility of implementing telehealth exercise interventions in long-term HCT survivors.

METHODS

We conducted a pilot randomized trial to assess the feasibility of an 8-week telehealth exercise intervention in 20 pre-frail or frail HCT survivors. Participants were randomized to either a telehealth exercise (N = 10) or delayed control (N = 10). We administered a remote physical function assessment at baseline, followed by an 8-week telehealth exercise intervention (30-60 min/session, 3 sessions/week), and post-intervention. The primary endpoint was feasibility as determined by 1) > 70% of participants completing all remote physical functional assessments, and 2) > 70% of participants in the exercise group completing > 70% (17/24) of the prescribed exercise sessions. Exploratory outcomes included changes in gait speed, handgrip strength, and short physical performance battery.

RESULTS

The mean [standard deviation] age at study enrollment was 64.7 [9.1] years old. Twelve had undergone allogenic and 8 had undergone autologous HCT at an average of 17 years from study enrollment. Both feasibility criteria were achieved. Nineteen patients (95%) completed all remote study outcome assessments at baseline and post-intervention, and nine participants in the exercise group completed > 70% of prescribed exercise sessions. Overall, no significant group x time interaction was observed on handgrip strength, fatigue, body mass index, and short physical performance battery test (P < 0.05). However, there were significant within-group improvements in four-meter gait speed (+ 13.9%; P = 0.004) and 5-minute gait speed (+ 25.4%; P = 0.04) in the exercise group whereas non-significant changes in four-meter gait speed (-3.8%) and 5-minute gait speed (-5.8%) were observed after 8 weeks.

CONCLUSION

Implementing an 8-week telehealth exercise intervention for long-term HCT survivors was feasible. Our findings set the stage for innovative delivery of supervised exercise intervention that reduces the burden of frailty in HCT survivors as well as other at-risk cancer survivors.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The protocol and informed consent were approved by the institutional IRB (IRB#20731) and registered (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04968119; date of registration: 20/07/2021).

Update on Prevalence of Pain in Patients with Cancer 2022: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis

Experiencing pain and insufficient relief can be devastating and negatively affect a patient's quality of life. Developments in oncology such as new treatments and adjusted pain management guidelines may have influenced the prevalence of cancer pain and severity in patients. This review aims to provide an overview of the prevalence and severity of pain in cancer patients in the 2014-2021 literature period. A systematic literature search was performed using the databases PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and Cochrane. Titles and abstracts were screened, and full texts were evaluated and assessed on methodological quality. A meta-analysis was performed on the pooled prevalence and severity rates. A meta-regression analysis was used to explore differences between treatment groups. We identified 10,637 studies, of which 444 studies were included. The overall prevalence of pain was 44.5%. Moderate to severe pain was experienced by 30.6% of the patients, a lower proportion compared to previous research. Pain experienced by cancer survivors was significantly lower compared to most treatment groups. Our results imply that both the prevalence of pain and pain severity declined in the past decade. Increased attention to the assessment and management of pain might have fostered the decline in the prevalence and severity of pain.

Pain among older adults with gastrointestinal malignancies- results from the cancer and aging resilience evaluation (CARE) Registry

PURPOSE

The impact of pain on functional status and mental health among older adults with cancer is a relevant, yet understudied. We sought to identify the prevalence of pain at diagnosis in older adults with gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies and evaluate the association of pain with functional status limitations, cognition, and mental health.

METHODS

This prospective cross-sectional study included older adults (age ≥ 60) with GI cancers enrolled in the CARE Registry. Pain measured in numeric rating scale from 0 to 10. We utilized the literature based cutoff for moderate-severe as ≥ 4. Logistic regression used to assess differences in functional status, falls, cognitive complaints, and depression/anxiety associated with moderate/severe pain, adjusted for sex, race, education, ethnicity, marital status, cancer type/stage, and treatment phase.

RESULTS

Our cohort included 714 older adults with an average mean age of 70 years and 59% male. Common diagnoses included colorectal (27.9%) and pancreatic (18%). A total of 43.3% reported moderate/severe pain. After multivariate adjusting for covariates, participants with self-reported moderate/severe pain were more likely to report limitations in instrumental activities of daily living (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 4.3 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.1-6.1, p < .001), limitation in activities of daily living (aOR 3.2 95% CI 2.0-5.1, p < .001), cognitive complaints (aOR 2.9 95% CI 1.4-6.0, p < .004), anxiety (aOR 2.2 95% CI 1.4-3.4, p < 0.01), and depression (aOR 3.7 95% CI 2.2-6.5, p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Pain is common among older adults with GI cancers and is associated with functional status limitations, cognitive complaints, and depression/anxiety. Strategies to reduce pain and minimize its potential impact on function and mental health warrant future research.