Screening Tool to Identify the Dominant Pain Mechanism in Cancer Survivors: PainsCan

Development and Validation of a Screening Tool to Identify the Dominant Pain Mechanism in Cancer Survivors With Persistent Pain

Development and internal validation of an easy-to-use tool for clinical pain assessment. The tool has to be applicable in any clinical practice and without the need for expensive and complicated hospital tools to identify the source of persistent pain after the treatment of cancer.

An adequate selection of physiotherapy treatment for persistent pain after the treatment of cancer, depends highly on the mechanism of the pain.

Pain can arise from a damaged nerve or tissue (skin, lymphatic system...). But when pain becomes chronic, alterations to the central nervous system can occur, as regulations of the facilitating and inhibiting mechanisms. These alterations may cause central sensitization pain. The body is now sensitized and cannot distinct harmful from harmless stimuli.

Each type of pain requires a specific treatment, therefore identification of the pain mechanism is crucial. Up till now, expensive and complex tests were performed in a hospital setting to determine if a patient suffers from neuropathic, nociceptive or central sensitization pain. This study aims for developping an assessment tool that does not require expensive devices but can be easily performed by any physiotherapist, within the timeframe of a standard consultation.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patient treated for primary cancer: breast, prostate, lung/bronchus, colon/rectum, gynecologic (uterus or ovary)
• Complete remission
• Curative treatment finished
• Ongoing hormonal and targeted treatment permitted
• Patient experiences pain (NRS minimum 3/10 during the past week)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Active metastasis
• Palliative status
• Other type of cancer than mentioned in inclusion criteria
• Pregnancy