Reporting characteristics of cancer pain: A systematic review and quantitative analysis of articles published in cancer journals

Objective: Common symptom requiring palliation in oncologic care is cancer pain. Cancer pain is recognized as global health burden. This paper sought to systematically examine the extent to which there is an adequate scientific research base on cancer pain and henceforth its reporting characteristics in the cancer journal literature. Materials and Methods: Search was conducted in PubMed sought to locate all studies published in 19 cancer journals from 2009 to 2010. The journals included were: Anti-cancer drugs; breast cancer research and treatment; British Journal of Cancer; Bulletin in Cancer; cancer; Cancer and Chemotherapy; Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology; Clinical Cancer Research; Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention; Cancer Genetics and Cytogenetics; Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy; Cancer Letters; cancer research; European Journal of Cancer; Indian Journal of Cancer; International Journal of Gynecological Cancer; Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology; Journal of National Cancer Institute; Lung Cancer. Journal contents were searched to identify studies that included pain in title/abstract. Results: During the years 2009 and 2010, of the selected 14,537 articles published in the journals reviewed, only 1.19% (173 articles) was on cancer pain. Conclusion: While researchers in the field of cancer care have studied pain, the total percentage for studies is still a low 1.19%. It is critical that more research be reported upon which to base cancer pain therapy in an evidence-based oncologic care model.