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From the Jefferson Pain Center, Department of Anesthesiology (Dr Menefee) and Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior (Dr Monti) at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Pa. Dr Monti is director of the JeffersonMyrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine.
Address correspondence to Lynette A. Menefee, PhD, Jefferson Medical College, Jefferson Pain Center, 834 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19107-5127.E-mail: lynette.menefee{at}jefferson.edu
Nonpharmacologic interventions are important adjuncts to treatment modalities for patients with cancer pain. A variety of modalities can be used to reduce pain and concomitant mood disturbance and increase quality of life. Physicians may feel relatively uninformed about which modalities have been used for patients with cancer and which have scientific support. This article reviews a few of the nonpharmacologic and complementary and alternative modalities commonly used by patients with cancer pain. It focuses on those modalities that have empirical support or promising preliminary evidence, with the goal of familiarizing physicians with treatment modalities that may complement regular oncologic care.
Adjuvant strategies combined with appropriate pharmacologic and interventional modes of treatment include nonpharmacologic and complementary medicine interventions. A complete review of all nonpharmacologic and complementary medicine treatment modalities used for cancer pain is beyond the scope of this article. Therefore, the focus is nonpharmacologic approaches and complementary medicine care presently used to treat patients with cancer pain.
| Biopsychosocial Model |
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The prevailing model of pain, the gate control theory,11,12 postulates a spinal cord control mechanism in the dorsal horn that receives ascending and descending signals from nerve tracts and weighs integration of these inputs. Pain perception is ultimately determined by the weighing of these inputs. The importance of the gate control theory to a discussion of treatment of patients with cancer pain is that descending cortical inputs that affect pain perception include psychological and psychosocial variables such as beliefs about pain, emotions, reactions to stress, and cognitions. Therefore, interventions that target modification of cognitions, beliefs, emotions, and stress can change pain perception and experience.
| Physical Modalities |
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Another commonly prescribed physical modality is application of heat or cold or a combination of both. The former method is most often used to alleviate postoperative pain and pain from inflammatory processes associated with cancer. Caution must be taken in use of heat for patients with insensate tissue, arterial insufficiency, metastatic tumors, bleeding diathesis, or cognitive deficits; such conditions may prevent patient's understanding of warnings of too much heat.13,16
Finally, therapeutic exercise and massage can be used to improve range of motion and reduce muscle tension, respectively. Physical therapists with a specialty in management of chronic or cancer pain often have skills to encourage patients with cancer to engage in exercise even when they observe minimal progress.
| Psychological Interventions |
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Psychiatric disorders for which patients need treatment are common in cancer, but appear to be more prevalent in patients with cancer who report significant pain.18 Therefore, early consultation with a mental health professional who can diagnose and treat psychiatric disorders (eg, major affective disorders, adjustment disorders, and anxiety disorders) is important.
Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can be useful for patients with cancer
pain.18 Cognitive
interventions generally involve asking patients to track their pain, record
thoughts and emotions during prescribed periods of the day, or follow
exacerbations of pain. The content of these thoughts and their relation to
subsequent emotions is discussed with a therapist. Maladaptive coping, often
stemming from dysfunctional automatic thoughts and beliefs, can be identified
and modified through therapeutic intervention.
One of the more important maladaptive cognitive coping strategies related to management of pain is catastrophizing.19 This is the tendency to make negative cognitive and emotional evaluations of pain or circumstances (eg, "This pain is horrible and I can't stand it." or "This pain means I will die soon."). Catastrophizing is associated with depression, increased pain intensity, and interference in life activities secondary to pain and anxiety.20,21 Perceptions of control over pain and high self-efficacy that patients with cancer can do something to affect their pain are associated with reduced pain in these patients.20,21
Behavioral Interventions
Behavioral therapy involves analysis of behavior that has been learned or
conditioned for evaluation, prevention, and treatment of pain or psychological
distress. Psychophysiologic interventions such as biofeedback and relaxation
have been categorized as behavioral. Other such interventions include modeling
appropriate behavior, assigning tasks in a "graded" or
hierarchical manner that promotes success and reinforcement, practicing tasks
(eg, often to reduce fear), and managing attention or rewards given by
significant
others.18
Combination strategies include meditation, hypnosis, music therapy, and systematic desensitization. The latter pairs relaxation with exposure to stimuli that produce anxiety; it can result in controlling anxiety.
Hypnosis is an especially focused state of concentration that can be used to alter painful sensations. It has been shown to be especially effective in the control of postoperative pain and pain following invasive procedures.22
| Psychosocial Interventions |
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An exciting new direction in teaching patients about pain is education directed toward caregivers. When learning about cancer pain was directed toward caregivers, Ferrell et al24 found that elderly patients with cancer pain described less discomfort with increased psychological and social functioning. Combining coping skills training and education, Keefe et al25 studied a partner-guided pain management training program for the end of life. They found that partners who participated in the cognitive-behavioral program reported improvements in self-efficacy for helping patients control pain and other symptoms; they also observed less caregiver strain. Patients in the study reported no differences in pain, but this finding was likely because they were very ill and near the end of life.
Keefe et al19 point to important future directions in the study of the biopsychosocial aspects of cancer pain. Referral to a psychologist remains more the exception than the norm for patients with disease-related pain. Access to services is also difficult at times. Therefore, Keefe et al19 recommend that future research be directed toward practical strategies for integration, including involving nurses in cognitive-behavioral training that can be accomplished during medical appointments and using telephone or Internet systems to deliver self-management training. These methods have been used in studies of back pain26 and osteoarthritis27 with good results.
| Complementary Medicine |
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This section looks at complementary treatment modalitiess that have some supportive empirical evidence or promising preliminary data in three areas:
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine dates back more than 4000 years and regards
health as a balance between individual and
environment.31
According to traditional Chinese medicine, qi, or ch'i is a
life energy force that flows in characteristic patterns (meridians) that
correspond to five elements (earth, wood, metal, water, and fire).
Physical and psychological illness is conceptualized as an improper flow or blocking of qi along a meridian. Therefore, the goal of traditional Chinese medicine is to achieve a balance in opposite poles of meridians, referred to as yin and yang.
Mind-Body Techniques
The term mind-body is somewhat ambiguous and refers to a group of
treatment modalities that involves acknowledging bidirectional effects of the
mind and body. Some of these modalities are generally classified as more
conventional modes of treatment, such as progressive-muscle relaxation.
Hypnosis and meditation programs are generally considered CAM approaches and
are reviewed here.
Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is one such practice that has shown therapeutic benefits for patients with a wide range of medical illnesses, including cancer.52-55 Mindfulness-based stress reduction facilitates moment-to-moment awareness through regular meditative practice. Participants learn to respond to their awareness, including negative emotional thoughts and states in a nonjudgmental, accepting, and relaxed fashion.
The practice of MBSR has been found to improve patients' coping with prostate cancer55 and to decrease stress and mood disturbances in a group of patients with mixed types of cancer.56 Shifts in immune system markers (reduction in T1 proinflammatory lymphocyte to T2 anti-inflammatory lymphocyte ratio) have also been found in patients with breast cancer and patients with prostate cancer following an 8-week MBSR program.57
Mindfulness-based art therapy (MBAT) is a newly developed program for patients with cancer that integrates MBSR within a supportive-expressive group format. A randomized controlled trial of MBAT showed significant reductions in psychological distress and improvements in quality of life of women with mixed cancer diagnoses compared with control subjects on a wait list.58 MBAT is different from MBSR in that it is specifically designed for patients with cancer, provides a nonverbal creative-expressive component via art therapy and is designed for smaller groups (eg, 7 to 10 participants compared with 30 or more MBSR participants per group).59
Therapeutic Massage
Therapeutic massage dates back thousands of years in ancient cultures of
China, Japan, and India. It is defined as the systematic manual or mechanical
manipulations of soft tissues of the body by movements such as rubbing,
kneading, pressing, rolling, or slapping or a combination of movements for
therapeutic purposes such as the relief of pain, relaxation of muscles,
promotion of circulation, and other physical and mental
benefits.60 Massage
increases relaxation, improves sleep, and results in decreased
pain.61 A recent
review found a correlation between massage therapy and decreased levels of
cortisol and anxiety. Two studies reported decreased pain and relaxation in
male patients with cancer following a massage
intervention.62,63
| Comment |
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Many of these interventions can increase patients' sense of control over their pain and their lives, increase their quality of life, and employ little risk. Further, the physician-patient relationship would likely benefit from discussion and incorporation of these strategies into cancer care. Perhaps there is no better example than a serious cancer illness for the need to employ a comprehensive biopsychosocial treatment approach that includes the broadest possible range of therapeutic modalities, particularly when pain is involved.
| Footnotes |
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This continuing medical education publication is supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Purdue Pharma LP.
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