Gabapentin for Pain Control in Cancer Patients' Wound Dressing Care

• Published in: Journal of pain and symptom management Vol. 22; no. 1; pp. 622 - 626
• Main Authors: Devulder, Jacques, Lambert, Jo, Naeyaert, Jean Marie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01-07-2001; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Acetates - therapeutic use; Amines; Analgesics; Analgesics - therapeutic use; Bandages - adverse effects; Biological and medical sciences; co-analgesic; Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids; Gabapentin; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Mycosis Fungoides - complications; Mycosis Fungoides - radiotherapy; Neuropharmacology; Pain - drug therapy; Pain - etiology; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; skin necrosis; Skin Neoplasms - complications; Skin Neoplasms - radiotherapy; wound dressing pain; wound dressing pain; skin necrosis; co-analgesic; Gabapentin; Human; Skin disease; Drug combination; Mycosis fungoides; Morphine; Opiates; Malignant hemopathy; Non Hodgkin lymphoma; Narcotic analgesic; Wound; Peripheral T cell lymphoma; Necrosis; Case study; Analgesia; Dressing; Chemotherapy; Cutaneous hematologic disease; Analgesic; Pain; Treatment; Lymphoproliferative syndrome; Skin
• ISSN: 0885-3924; 1873-6513
• DOI: 10.1016/S0885-3924(01)00304-9

A patient with mycosis fungoides illustrates the problem of pain management during wound care and suggests the utility of a novel treatment, gabapentin. Skin lesions, be they induced through necrosis of tumor, therapy (e.g., radiotherapy), or by pressure ulceration, are often the cause of continuous pain or acute wound dressing pain. Optimizing the analgesic treatment in those patients is thus of major importance. Anti-inflammatory drugs and opioids are the cornerstones in the treatment of cancer pain but are rarely sufficient to control wound pain. Different adjuvant techniques can be used, including topical analgesics, psychological distraction techniques, anxiolytics, and co-analgesics. There is growing evidence that anticonvulsants, and sodium channel blockers in particular, are effective not only in neuropathic but also in inflammatory pain. Gabapentin, a voltage sensitive sodium and calcium channel blocker, was used as a co-analgesic to supplement morphine in this case of cancer wound dressing pain.