Dados do Trabalho

Título

EFFECTIVENESS OF THE COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES IN THE MANAGEMENT OF ONCOLOGICAL PAIN IN ADULTS WITH CANCER IN PALLIATIVE CARE

Introdução

Introduction: Cancer pain is a symptom related to multiple factors. Although the WHO Analgesic Scale has been widely used, approximately 40% to 50% of the cancer pain cases have inadequate relief due to their multi-factorial nature. There is still a shortage of effective pain management schemes for many cancer patients, especially those in palliative care. Thus, a combination of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment modalities for cancer pain should be the standard care, due to the complexity of this symptom. It is highlighted that, for many cancer patients in palliative care, drug therapy is insufficient for pain relief or does not match the patient’s choice. Thus, it becomes essential to use complementary therapies in addition to the conventional ones for cancer pain management.

Objetivo

Objective: To synthesize the knowledge and to critically evaluate the evidence arising from randomized controlled trials on the efficacy of the complementary therapies in the management of cancer pain in adult patients with cancer in palliative care.

Método

Methods: This study is a systematic review register with The International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO/NHS) – Record Number: CRD42020156074, which was guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). The search for articles in the MEDLINE/PubMed, CENTRAL Cochrane, Web of Science, , and PsycINFO databases, as well as the additional search, selection of studies, data extraction, and methodological assessment using the Cochrane Bias Risk tool were performed independently by two reviewers.

Resultado

Results: Eight hundred and fifteen (815) studies were identified, six of them being selected and analyzed, of which three used massage therapy, one study used a combination of progressive muscle relaxation and guided imaging, and another two studies used acupuncture. Most of the studies had an uncertain risk of bias (n=4; 67%).

Conclusão

Conclusion: While the evidence from the studies evaluating the use of massage therapy or the use of progressive muscle relaxation and guided imaging for the management of cancer pain in these patients demonstrated significant benefits, the other two studies that evaluated the use of acupuncture as a complementary therapy showed contradictory results, therefore, needing more research studies to elucidate such findings.

Palavras-chave

Keywords: Complementary Therapies, Adult, Cancer Pain, Palliative Care.