Cancer pain specialists debate latest approaches in breakthrough cancer pain (BTcP) management

On June 16, Teva Pharmaceuticals Europe B.V. will host a webcast to discuss latest approaches to managing breakthrough pain in cancer patients. The webinar – ‘Shifting paradigms in breakthrough cancer pain (BTcP) management’ – will bring together a leading, international panel of oncologists, pains specialists, nurses and patient representatives to share their views on the state of European BTcP management & guidelines. The panel will also address BTcP from the oncologist’s versus pain specialist’s perspective, and will touch on emerging approaches to BTcP – such as individualised use of rapid-onset opioids in managing breakthrough cancer pain. Interested healthcare professionals are encouraged to register for the webcast at www.beconown.com.

On cancer pain and breakthrough cancer pain, Dr. Sebastiano Mercadante, Director of Supportive Care Unit, La Maddalena Cancer Center Palermo, Italy & Adjunct Professor, Supportive Care, MD Anderson, Houston, Texas, said: “Pain is intangible. That’s why cancer patients can struggle to articulate their pain. Patients may also worry that if they make their doctor aware of their pain, their cancer treatment might end up being discontinued. When breakthrough cancer pain occurs on top of a patient’s background pain, diagnosis and treatment can be even more challenging – in particular if a patient’s background pain isn’t well managed.”¹

Also participating in the webcast are Dr. Frank Elsner, Vice Chair & Assitant Medical Director at the Department for Palliative Medicine at the University Hospital of RWTH Aachen University, Germany; Dr. Javier de Castro, Head of the Lung Cancer Unit of the Medical Oncology Department, La Paz University Hospital, Spain; Jackie Marshall, Palliative Care Clinical Services Manager at University College London Hospital (UCLH); and Dr. Giovanni Rosti, Medical Oncology Consultant for Research at the Scientific Institute, San Matteo, Pavia, Italy.

Many barriers to effective pain control for cancer patients have been researched, including failure to diagnose breakthrough pain, an emphasis on cancer treatment over pain management, limited prioritisation of pain control in public health, as well as an absence of national policies on opioid use.² Furthermore, awareness among care providers of BTcP treatment guidelines has been lacking.³ Roughly one third of cancer patients have reported undertreated cancer pain – a rate that has not changed much in 20 years.^4,5 Dr. Mario Cepparulo, Medical Affairs Director, Oncology Care Europe, Teva Pharmaceuticals adds: “Cancer pain is challenging. Patients can experience both pain related to their cancer as well as pain related to their treatment.”

The webcast, “Shifting paradigms in BTcP management” will take place on 16 June at 13:00 (CET)/ 12:00 (BST). For information on the webcast or to sign up, please visit www.beconown.com. Healthcare professionals, who are interested in further information on cancer pain and on the latest advances in the field, are also invited to join Teva’s LinkedIn group: ‘Driving advances in cancer pain management’ (www.linkedin.com/groups/8600759/profile).

References:

1. Mercadante S, Portenoy RK. Breakthrough cancer pain: twenty-five years of study.Pain. 2016157:2657-2663.
2. Pergolizzi J et al. Treatment Considerations for Cancer Pain: A Global Perspective. World Institute of Pain 2014.3.
3. Te Boveldt N et al. Adoptation of an evidence-based clinical practice guideline in cancer pain management by medical oncologists: a case vignette study 2015.
4. Cleeland CS, Gonin R, Hatfield AK, et al. Pain and its treatment in outpatient with metastatic cancer. New England Journal of Medicine 1994; 330: 592-596.
5. Fisch MJ, Lee JW, Weiss M, et al. Prospective, observational study of pain and analgesic prescribing in medical oncology outpatients with breast, colorectal, lung or prostate cancer. Journal Clinical Oncology 2012; 30: 1980-1988.