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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2017 May 1.
Published in final edited form as: Pain. 2016 May;157(5):1122–1131. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000000489

Table 2.

Pain Score by Patient Characteristics

Variable Pain Score1
Pre-RT Post-RT RT-Associated Change
N Mean SD MD P2 N Mean SD MD P2 N Mean SD MD P2
All 358 1.6 2.1 0.8 335 2.8 2.6 2.3 314 1.2 2.2 0.8 <0.001
Race/ethnicity
 NHW 55 1.0 1.3 0.3 0.044 50 1.9 1.7 1.5 0.012 47 1.0 1.7 1.0 0.818
 AA 76 1.9 2.4 1.0 71 3.3 2.6 2.8 69 1.3 2.3 0.8
 HW 227 1.7 2.1 0.8 214 2.9 2.6 2.3 198 1.2 2.3 0.8
Age (yrs)
 <50 93 1.9 2.2 1.0 0.090 85 3.4 2.6 2.8 0.023 82 1.3 2.2 0.9 0.428
 ≥50 265 1.5 2.0 0.5 250 2.6 2.5 1.9 232 1.1 2.2 0.8
Menopausal status
 Pre/Peri 119 1.8 2.2 1.0 0.372 111 3.1 2.5 2.5 0.228 104 1.3 2.0 1.0 0.546
 Post 239 1.6 2.0 0.7 224 2.7 2.6 2.0 210 1.1 2.3 0.5
BMI (kg/m2)
 <25 96 1.4 1.8 0.5 0.201 84 2.1 2.2 1.1 <0.001 83 0.8 1.9 0.3 0.078
 25–29.99 117 1.6 1.9 0.8 113 2.5 2.3 1.8 101 1.0 2.1 1.0
 ≥30 145 1.9 2.3 1.0 138 3.5 2.7 3.4 130 1.5 2.4 1.0
Smoking history
 Never 236 1.5 2.0 0.5 0.145 223 2.7 2.6 2.0 0.333 210 1.2 2.2 0.5 0.879
 Ever 122 1.9 2.2 1.0 112 3.0 2.5 2.5 104 1.2 2.2 0.9
# Comorbidities3
 0 140 1.6 2.0 0.8 0.986 138 2.5 2.3 2.1 0.184 127 0.9 2.1 0.8 0.054
 1 134 1.7 2.1 0.8 121 2.9 2.6 2.3 115 1.1 2.2 0.5
 2 61 1.7 2.1 0.5 56 3.1 2.8 2.5 53 1.5 2.3 1.0
 ≥3 23 1.5 2.0 0.3 20 3.7 2.8 4.5 19 2.3 2.1 2.3
Diabetes
 No 315 1.7 2.1 0.8 0.115 300 2.8 2.5 2.3 0.483 280 1.1 2.2 0.6 0.012
 Yes 43 1.2 1.7 0.3 35 3.1 2.9 2.8 34 2.1 2.3 1.6
Hypertension
 No 202 1.7 2.2 0.8 0.454 192 2.7 2.4 2.3 0.301 179 1.0 2.1 0.8 0.051
 Yes 156 1.5 2.0 0.5 143 3.0 2.8 2.3 135 1.4 2.3 1.0
Thyroid disease
 No 319 1.6 2.0 0.8 0.039 298 2.7 2.5 2.3 0.031 278 1.1 2.2 0.8 0.257
 Yes 39 2.3 2.3 2.0 37 3.7 3.0 4.0 36 1.6 2.1 1.0
Pre-RT pain score
 <4 301 0.9 1.1 0.3 <0.001 264 2.3 2.2 1.8 <0.001 264 1.4 2.1 0.8 <0.001
 ≥4 57 5.5 1.4 5.0 54 5.2 2.8 5.3 50 0.0 2.2 0.0

Abbreviations: NHW=non-Hispanic whites; AA=Black or African American; HW=Hispanic whites; BMI= body mass index; SD= standard deviation. MD= median.

1

Defined as the mean score of the 4 pain severity items (i.e., pain at its worst, least, average, and now).

2

P values from ANOVA; except for RT-associated change in the total population, paired-sample t test was used. Significant findings were in bold.

3

Sum of patient-reported 11 comorbidity conditions: diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, lung disease, thyroid disease, cirrhosis liver, stroke, chronic bronchitis, hepatitis, tuberculosis, and other.