Pain in prostate cancer patients with and without metastases

The study examined the nature of pain associated with localized or metastatic prostate cancer (PC). Fourteen men with localized PC, 18 with PC and bony metastases, and a comparison group of 117 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), completed the body drawing and the pain vocabulary of the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ). There were no significant differences in Pain Rating Index (PRI) between the three groups. The choice of pain adjectives did not differentiate between localized and metastatic PC. Chi-squared analysis revealed group differences in the number of times each PRI subclass was employed to describe localized and metastatic PC pain. In contrast, the frequency of choosing PRI subclasses to describe metastatic PC and RA pain was similar. The results suggested: (i) that bony qualities were included in the description of pain associated with metastatic PC, and (ii) pain assessment conducted at different stages of PC could assist in the management of PC pain