PATIENT SKILLS FOR CANCER PAIN CONTROL IN PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC BREAST OR PROSTATE CANCER
PATIENT SKILLS FOR CANCER PAIN CONTROL IN PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC BREAST OR PROSTATE CANCER
RATIONALE: An outpatient educational and behavioral skills training program may help patients with metastatic breast or prostate cancer live longer and more comfortably.
PURPOSE: This randomized clinical trial studies whether an outpatient educational and behavioral skills training program will improve pain control in patients who have metastatic or recurrent breast or prostate cancer.
OBJECTIVES:
OUTLINE: This is a randomized study. Patients are stratified according to diagnosis (breast vs prostate cancer), initial "pain worst" score (4-6 vs 7 or higher), and participating institution. Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms.
Patients on both arms undergo pain and psychological assessments on days 1 and 15.
PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 96 patients (48 per arm) will be accrued for this study.
DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
Recurrent or metastatic breast or prostate cancer
"Pain worst" score of 4 or greater on the Brief Pain Inventory
No prior enrollment on this study (patients treated during the run-in period are ineligible for randomization)
Hormone receptor status:
PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
Age:
Menopausal status:
Performance status:
Hematopoietic:
Hepatic:
Renal:
Other:
No major psychiatric illness, including the following DSM-III-R diagnoses:
PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
Biologic therapy:
Chemotherapy:
Endocrine therapy:
Radiotherapy:
Surgery:
Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033-0850, United States