Prevalence of myofascial pain syndrome in patients with incurable cancer

Hiroto Ishiki; Junya Kinkawa; Aya Watanabe; Chie Watanabe; Tsukuru Chiba; Hiroki Yasui; Naoki Shimada; Keisuke Ariyoshi; Masanori Nojima; Satoru Iwase; Arinobu Tojo; Kohzoh Imai

doi:10.1016/j.jbmt.2017.05.005

Prevalence of myofascial pain syndrome in patients with incurable cancer

J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2018 Apr;22(2):328-332. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2017.05.005. Epub 2017 May 17.

Authors

Hiroto Ishiki¹, Junya Kinkawa², Aya Watanabe³, Chie Watanabe⁴, Tsukuru Chiba⁴, Hiroki Yasui⁴, Naoki Shimada⁴, Keisuke Ariyoshi⁴, Masanori Nojima⁵, Satoru Iwase⁴, Arinobu Tojo⁶, Kohzoh Imai⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Palliative Medicine, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: ishiki-tky@umin.ac.jp.
² Department of Joint Surgery, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
³ Department of Pharmacy, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
⁴ Department of Palliative Medicine, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
⁵ Center for Translational Research, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
⁶ Department of Palliative Medicine, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Hematology/ Oncology, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
⁷ Academic Collaborative Center, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.

PMID: 29861227
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2017.05.005

Abstract

Background: Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is a condition that involves skeletal muscles. It is caused by overload or disuse of muscles and is characterized by extreme tenderness in the muscles with taut bands. Treatment for MPS is different from that for cancer-related pain. Cancer patients have many factors that cause restriction of body movement and posture. Although cancer patients appear to demonstrate risk factors for MPS, its prevalence has not been reported in patients with incurable cancer. This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of MPS in patients with incurable cancer.

Methods: A retrospective chart review. The data for patients with incurable cancer who received palliative care at our department between September 2015 and March 2016 were investigated. We examined the prevalence of MPS, which was diagnosed on the basis of the Rivers criteria (RC) and Simons criteria (SC). We also examined the following factors associated with MPS: performance status (PS), use of medical devices, and primary cancer sites. The primary outcome was the prevalence of MPS based on RC. Secondary outcomes included the prevalence of MPS based on SC and the relationship between MPS and either PS or medical devices.

Results: Thirty-four patients with incurable cancer were identified. MPS based on RC or SC was detected in 10 (29%) and 20 (59%) patients, respectively. Twenty-two of 34 patients who complained of pain, 10 (45%) had MPS based on RC and 20 (90%) had MPS based on SC. Age and central venous port were risk factors for MPS by multivariate analysis.

Conclusion: A very high prevalence of MPS was detected in our study population. MPS should be considered when patients with incurable cancer complain of pain.

MeSH terms

Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Female
Health Status
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Myofascial Pain Syndromes / epidemiology*
Neoplasms / epidemiology*
Prevalence
Retrospective Studies