Pain and Its Treatment Among Outpatients with Malignant Tumors in China.

BACKGROUND

Pain is common among patients with malignant tumors. It significantly impacts quality of life, yet over 80% of advanced cancer patients lack adequate pain management. Despite improvements in China's pain management program, challenges remain, especially for older adults and outpatient care.

METHODS

We evaluated pain intensity management adequacy using a 0-10 numerical rating scale (NRS), and Pain Management Index (PMI) at an outpatient oncology clinic. Differences and changes in pain levels were statistically analyzed using -test, rank-sum, and chi-square tests. Factors associated with inadequate pain management were identified using multivariate logistic regression.

RESULTS

Among 589 participants, 45.41% scored moderate to severe pain ≥ 4, and 81.32% experienced inadequate pain management (PMI < 0). Pain was more severe among older, than younger patients (4.15 ± 2.89 vs 3.65 ± 2.41, < 0.001) and pain management was inadequate in older compared with younger patients (75.47% vs 89.87%). Undergoing targeted or immune adjuvant therapy (odds ratio [OR], 3.206; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.538-6.684) and poor physical status (OR, 5.053; 95% CI, 2.023-12.622) emerged as significant risk factors for inadequate pain management.

CONCLUSION

Pain management is challenging for patients aged ≥60 years. Therefore, tailored interventions are needed to enhance care quality.