BACKGROUND: Little is known about cancer pain in Chinese Americans. The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiology of pain in this population. This information is needed to identify and address unmet clinical needs for culturally relevant interventions targeting pain and its consequences. METHODS: A consecutive sample of underserved ethnic Chinese patients in a large community-based oncology practice was screened for persistent or frequent pain. Those patients with pain completed translated instruments assessing demographics, linguistic acculturation, disease-related characteristics, and pain-related characteristics. RESULTS: Of 312 patients screened, 178 (57.1%) reported frequent or persistent pain, 175 were eligible, and 170 participated. Most participants (85.9%) were born in China and 84.7% overall spoke Cantonese only. The most common cancers were gastrointestinal (28.2%), lung (21.8%), breast (20.6%), head and neck (12.9%), and genitourinary (4.7%); 43.5% had metastatic disease. The mean worst pain severity on a 0-10 numeric scale was 4.7 (standard deviation, 2.4), with 28.2% of patients rating their worst pain at ≥7 of 10. Although 37.6% used opioids and 47.1% used nonopioids, 45.8% reported "little" or "no" pain relief from medications. Complementary or alternative medicine therapies for cancer pain were used by 35.8%. In multiple regression analyses, worst pain was positively associated with acculturation to the English language and opioid therapy, and pain-related distress was positively associated with opioid therapy. CONCLUSION: Pain is prevalent among community-dwelling, ethnic Chinese American cancer patients. Additional studies are needed to confirm these results and investigate the finding that higher linguistic acculturation is associated with reports of more intense pain.
BACKGROUND: Little is known about cancer pain in Chinese Americans. The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiology of pain in this population. This information is needed to identify and address unmet clinical needs for culturally relevant interventions targeting pain and its consequences. METHODS: A consecutive sample of underserved ethnic Chinese patients in a large community-based oncology practice was screened for persistent or frequent pain. Those patients with pain completed translated instruments assessing demographics, linguistic acculturation, disease-related characteristics, and pain-related characteristics. RESULTS: Of 312 patients screened, 178 (57.1%) reported frequent or persistent pain, 175 were eligible, and 170 participated. Most participants (85.9%) were born in China and 84.7% overall spoke Cantonese only. The most common cancers were gastrointestinal (28.2%), lung (21.8%), breast (20.6%), head and neck (12.9%), and genitourinary (4.7%); 43.5% had metastatic disease. The mean worst pain severity on a 0-10 numeric scale was 4.7 (standard deviation, 2.4), with 28.2% of patients rating their worst pain at ≥7 of 10. Although 37.6% used opioids and 47.1% used nonopioids, 45.8% reported "little" or "no" pain relief from medications. Complementary or alternative medicine therapies for cancer pain were used by 35.8%. In multiple regression analyses, worst pain was positively associated with acculturation to the English language and opioid therapy, and pain-related distress was positively associated with opioid therapy. CONCLUSION:Pain is prevalent among community-dwelling, ethnic Chinese American cancerpatients. Additional studies are needed to confirm these results and investigate the finding that higher linguistic acculturation is associated with reports of more intense pain.
Authors: R K Portenoy; A B Kornblith; G Wong; V Vlamis; J M Lepore; D B Loseth; T Hakes; K M Foley; W J Hoskins Journal: Cancer Date: 1994-08-01 Impact factor: 6.860
Authors: Deepali Pandey; Kin Lam; William Cheung; Ashraf Mahmood; Stephanie Hicks; Russell Portenoy; Jack Chen; Lara Dhingra Journal: J Immigr Minor Health Date: 2021-02-02
Authors: Anna Santos Salas; Jorge Fuentes Contreras; Susan Armijo-Olivo; Humam Saltaji; Sharon Watanabe; Thane Chambers; Lori Walter; Greta G Cummings Journal: Support Care Cancer Date: 2015-11-10 Impact factor: 3.603