Drug management of cancer-related peripheral neuropathic pain: A systematic review of the literature

The objective of the present systematic literature review was to provide an update on medical treatment of neuropothic pain in cancer patients. The number of cancer patients is steadily increasing. Pain is frequent in cancer patients. Few studies hove focused on medical treatment of pain, and especially of neuropothic pain, in current or former cancer patients. The present systematic review of all studies published between December 2012 and August 2018 was intended to estimate the scale of this lock. In all, 27 articles were identified on a systematic PubMed search and from the authors' personal knowledge, confirming that scant data hove been published. The heterogeneity of cancer patients, of cancer, and of pain go some way toward explaining this scarcity. Guidelines, founded mainly on results from non-cancer patients, recommend tricyclic antidepressants and ontiepileptic drugs; local treatments hove the advantage of good systemic tolerance. Larger-scale studies taking account of the etiology of neuropothic pain, its characteristics (strictly neuropothic or mixed) and patient characteristics (awaiting treatment, under treatment, recent or non-recent survivor, or in terminal phase) along the care pathway are needed to improve knowledge. The results of the present literature analysis con help future research.