Word Choices of Advanced Cancer Patients: Frequency of Nociceptive and Neuropathic Pain

The purpose of this study was to determine if nociceptive and/or neuropathic pain in advanced cancer patients could be identified by word selections made on the McGill Melzack Pain Questionnaire. Theoretical definitions for nociceptive and neuropathic pain provided a framework for categorizing the word descriptors in the McGill Melzack Pain Questionnaire's sensory and miscellaneous dimensions. A description study design was used to group word frequencies by primary site and pain type. The participants were 76 advanced cancer patients who received home-based hospice services. A wide range of word choices for lung cancer patients supported both nociceptive and neuropathic pain. Individuals with colon and liver cancer selected words that described 2 types of nociceptive (visceral, somatic) pain, while those with prostate cancer noted somatic pain. A set frequency was not reached by individuals with breast, pancreatic, gastric, and other advanced cancers. This study provided evidence that advanced cancer patients select words that describe nociceptive and neuropathic pain types.