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May 21, 2002 |
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Implantable pumps improve cancer patients' quality of life ORLANDO, Fla. -- May 21, 2002 -- A pump implanted under the skin that delivers pain medication in a slow-release fashion directly into the spinal fluid could greatly improve the pain relief, overall quality of life and survival for cancer patients living in pain, according to an international study. Besides cancer patients, the approach could be applied to a broad range of medical conditions that require varying amounts of pain relief for patients. The international research collaboration led by Dr. Peter S. Staats, of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, presented data about the device May 21 at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. "This challenges our thinking about how to treat cancer pain," co-principal investigator Staats, said in a prepared statement. "Normally we give the patients pain medication, and if it doesn't work we'll resort to something else as a last-ditch effort. This suggests that earlier intervention with an approach that minimizes systemic drugs has a significant benefit in a variety of domains. It presents a whole new paradigm in patient care," said Staats, who is also director of the Division of Pain Medicine at Johns Hopkins. The researchers studied more than 200 people at 25 medical centers in the U.S. and Europe with a variety of cancers including lung, breast, prostate, colon and pancreatic cancers whose pain was greater than relief obtained from morphine or other opiate drugs. Patients were randomly assigned to either receive an implantable pump delivering medications directly into the spinal fluid or to continue taking oral pain medicine. Results of the study funded by medical device-maker Medtronic, Inc. revealed that at the end of the six-month study, 54 percent of the pump patients were living, versus 37 percent of those on medical management. In addition, patients on the pump had less pain and fewer side effects from pain drugs, including significantly less fatigue, less constipation or nausea, and improved mental status. The pump used for the study is about the size and shape of a hockey puck. It contains a prescribed amount of drug and is surgically inserted in the abdomen. A small tube reaches from the pump around the waist to deliver medication directly into the spinal fluid. Physicians can tailor the dose for each patient, deciding when and how much medication to release, depending on pain levels. Doctors refill the pump by injecting medication through the abdomen into a tiny opening on the front of the device. |
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