Student and Faculty Publications

Publication Date

9-1-2023

Journal

Oral Oncology Reports

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Pain during Radiation Therapy (RT) for oral cavity/oropharyngeal cancer (OC/OPC) is a clinical challenge due to its multifactorial etiology and variable management. The objective of this study was to define complex pain profiles through temporal characterization of pain descriptors, physiologic state, and RT-induced toxicities for pain trajectories understanding.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using an electronic health record registry, 351 OC/OPC patients treated with RT from 2013 to 2021 were included. Weekly numeric scale pain scores, pain descriptors, vital signs, physician-reported toxicities, and analgesics were analyzed using linear mixed effect models and Spearman's correlation. Area under the pain curve (AUC

RESULTS: Median pain scores increased from 0 during the weekly visit (WSV)-1 to 5 during WSV-7. By WSV-7, 60% and 74% of patients reported mouth and throat pain, respectively, with a median pain score of 5. Soreness and burning pain peaked during WSV-6/7 (51%). Median AUC

CONCLUSION: This study provides insight on in-depth characterization and associations between dynamic pain, physiologic, and toxicity kinetics. Our findings support further needs of optimized pain control through temporal data-driven clinical decision support systems for acute pain management.

Keywords

Head and neck cancer, Oral Cavity and oropharyngeal cancer, Acute pain, Radiation Therapy, Oral mucositis, Dermatitis

Comments

PMID: 38638130

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