Increased quality of life in patients with breakthrough cancer pain after individualized therapy: the CAVIDIOM study.

Cancer patients can experience flares of pain, called breakthrough pain (BTcP), despite treatment with painkillers. Although BTcP can be excruciating, its intensity and other characteristics depend on several factors, including its treatment. However, even if treated, BTcP can impair quality of life for cancer patients. We assessed quality of life in 118 patients with advanced cancer and BTcP treated in 13 medical oncology departments across Spain. We treated BTcP with individualized therapy, taking into account both pain-related and patient-related factors. We also measured quality of life using a specific, widely-used questionnaire at the study visits: at onset of individualized pain ther…