Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
2766338 Medicina Paliativa 2015 10 Pages PDF
Abstract
Cancer pain is a complex and highly important problem in daily clinical practice. Although cancer is usually painless in the early phases of its development, the prevalence of chronic pain is 30%-50% in cancer patients undergoing active treatment and 79%-90% in patients with advanced disease. The true prevalence of breakthrough cancer pain is unclear and varies widely across studies, ranging from 19% to 93%. Dyspnea is a highly frequent symptom that is common to many diseases, indicating its multisystemic origin. This symptom can occur in respiratory and non-respiratory diseases. Dyspnea is present in up to 78% of patients with lung cancer. We describe two clinical cases in which fentanyl pectin nasal spray was used in the management of both breakthrough cancer pain and dyspnea exacerbations, providing strong symptomatic relief in both patients.
Related Topics
Health Sciences Medicine and Dentistry Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
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