Onkológia 3/2016

Breakthrough pain – classification, diagnostic, treatment

Currently, there is no universally accepted definition of breakthrough pain. Portenoy et al. have defined breakthrough pain as a transitory exacerbation of baseline or permanent pain adequately controlled by opioids use. The pain can temporarily intensify from moderate up to severe pain. A breakthrough pain significantly influences the quality of life. It decreases physical and psychosocial activities of a patient, and is accompanied by a mood alteration, depression and even social isolation of a patient. It also reduces the effects of baseline analgesic treatment. Breakthrough pain can occur as both malignant and non-malignant pain. Basic principles of the treatment of breakthrough pain are based on general assessment of patient’s general condition, evaluation of the history of pain with the main focus on breakthrough pain, and on an assessment of current treatment of a patient. Medical treatment of breakthrough pain should be complex and should be regularly systematically re-evaluated.

Keywords: breakthrough pain, definition, classification, therapeutic approach