Table 3.
Cancer pain management of participants in relation to their breakthrough pain status.
| Characteristic | Breakthrough paina | All patients | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absent n = 231 (%) | Present n = 140 (%) | Total n = 371 (%) | ||
| Opioid use | ||||
| No regular opioid prescription | 39 (16.9) | 3 (2.1) | 42 (11.3) | <0.001 |
| MEDD, median (interquartile range) | 30 (15–60) | 30 (20–60) | 30 (20–60) | 0.078 |
| Logn MEDD, mean ± SD | 3.1 ± 1.5 | 3.6 ± 0.9 | 3.3 ± 1.4 | 0.0005 |
| Adjuvant analgesic use | ||||
| Corticosteroid | 34 (14.7) | 27 (19.3) | 61 (16.4) | 0.250 |
| Benzodiazepine | 48 (20.8) | 39 (27.9) | 87 (23.5) | 0.119 |
| Antiepileptic | 35 (15.2) | 34 (24.3) | 69 (18.6) | 0.028 |
| Antidepressant | 34 (14.7) | 20 (14.3) | 54 (14.6) | 0.909 |
| Bisphosphonate | 9 (3.9) | 2 (1.4) | 11 (3.0) | 0.174 |
| Use of ≥1 adjuvant | 126 (54.6) | 84 (60.0) | 210 (56.6) | 0.304 |
| Pain Management Index (PMI) | ||||
| PMI negative | 59 (25.5) | 36 (25.7) | 95 (25.6) | 0.970 |
MEDD = total morphine equivalent daily dose in mg, oral. aStudy-defined, based on history and on BPI scores.