• Pain Med · Jun 2021

    Randomized Controlled Trial

    Herbal Topical Analgesic for Pain Management: Perspectives from Cancer Patients.

    • Kevin T Liou, Connie Chen, Nicholas Emard, Kathleen A Lynch, Yen Nien Hou, and Jun J Mao.
    • Integrative Medicine Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
    • Pain Med. 2021 Jun 4; 22 (6): 1435-1440.

    ObjectiveHerbs and natural products are increasingly used by cancer patients for pain management, but few studies have examined their integration within conventional cancer care. This study describes the characteristics, experiences, and perspectives of cancer patients who were prescribed an herbal topical analgesic for pain management.Design And SettingProgram evaluation of a pilot herbal dispensary at a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center.SubjectsCancer patients who were prescribed the Tibetree Pain-Relieving Plaster (PRP) by an integrative medicine physician.MethodsSociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients were abstracted from medical records. Semistructured phone interviews were conducted 1-2 weeks after PRP prescription to evaluate patient experiences with using PRP for pain. Interviews were analyzed through thematic content analysis.ResultsFrom February 2019 to February 2020, 50 patients were prescribed PRP. Median age (range) was 63 years (21-86), 37 patients (74%) were female, 14 (28%) were non-White, and 38 (76%) were using oral analgesics. During interviews, the majority of patients reported that the PRP improved pain and health-related outcomes, was convenient to use, and addressed pain management needs that were not fulfilled by oral analgesics. However, a few patients described adverse experiences with PRP, including skin irritation.ConclusionsUnderstanding patient experiences and perspectives is a critical step toward evidence-based integration of herbs and natural products into cancer pain management. Findings from this program evaluation will inform the design of a randomized clinical trial on the efficacy and safety of PRP for pain in patients with cancer.© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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