Objective:

To identify the main factors determining the health related quality of life (HRQL) in patients with cancer-related neuropathic pain in a tertiary care hospital.

Methods:

A cross-sectional analytical study was performed on a sample of 237 patients meeting criteria for cancer-related neuropathic pain. Clinical and demographic variables were recorded including, cancer type, stage, time since diagnosis, pain intensity, physical functionality with the palliative performance scale (PPS), and anxiety and depression with the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS). Their respective correlation coefficients (r) with HRQL assessed with the SF-36v2 Questionnaire were then calculated. Linear regression equations were then constructed with the variables that showed an r > 0.5 with the HRQL.

Results:

The HRQL scores of the sample were 39.3 ± 9.1 (Physical Component) and 45.5 ± 13.8 (Mental Component). Anxiety and depression strongly correlated with the mental component (r = -0.641 and r = -0.741, respectively) while PPS score correlated with the physical component (r = 0.617). The linear regression model that better explained the variance of the mental component was designed combining the Anxiety and Depression variables (r = 77.3%; p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

The strong influence of psychiatric comorbidity on the HRQL of patients with cancer-related neuropathic pain makes an integral management plan essential for these patients to include interventions for its timely diagnosis and treatment.

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