Evaluating the relationship between pain presentation and health-related quality of life in outpatients with metastatic or recurrent neoplastic disease

Because cancer pain can in many cases be intermittent, the presence or abse nce of pain in ambulatory care patients on any given clinic visit may not b e an accurate characterization of the impact of pain on functioning or heal th-related quality of life (HRQOL). The purpose of this study was to descri be the relationship between temporal aspects of pain presentation and HRQOL among 187 stage III/IV cancer patients using the Brief Pain Inventory and the EORTC QLQ-C30. A total of 43% of patients reported pain the previous we ek, with 22% reporting no pain at the time of assessment. Differences betwe en three pain groups (No Pain, Past Pain, and Current Pain) were significan t for global HRQOL and five dimensions of HRQOL. Severity of pain was also associated with each dimension of HRQOL. This study highlights the complex relationship between pain presentation and HRQOL. The findings support the continuing need for detailed pain assessments among cancer patients treated in ambulatory care settings. Specifically, standardized, self-report measu res of cancer pain that include 'frequency' as well as severity may be the most accurate approach to capture the impact of pain on HRQOL.