Results of a Neuroscience Education Program in Adults with Cancer Pain: A Controlled Clinical Trial

Abstract

Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience that may or may not be associated with tissue damage. It is the second most frequent symptom during cancer treatment, arising from factors such as toxicity, surgery, or radiotherapy. Given its multidimensional nature, pain also involves cognitive mechanisms that require complementary therapeutic strategies. Advances in pain neuroscience have improved the understanding and management of painful conditions. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a neuroscience education program compared to conventional management in individuals with cancer-related pain. Material and Method An experimental study was conducted through a randomized controlled clinical trial with parallel groups and evaluator blinding, in accordance with CONSORT guidelines and registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT05581784). An educational protocol based on pain neuroscience principles was developed, consisting of nine sessions addressing topics such as the pain system, alarm mechanisms, modulators, fatigue, anxiety, stress, current treatment models, and goal setting (Ordoñez-Mora et al., 2024). Patients from both the control and intervention groups were evaluated after 10 weeks (Ordoñez-Mora et al., 2023). Results and Discussion A total of 66 patients with cancer pain were included, with breast cancer being the most prevalent diagnosis. In terms of cancer staging, 63% were in stage III, 31.8% in stage IV, and 4.5% in stage V. Pain intensity was assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). In the intervention group, the mean pain score decreased from 5.41 ± 2.13 at baseline (T1) to 4.00 ± 2.06 at follow-up (T2), representing a reduction of 1.40 points (p = 0.00), which was both statistically significant and clinically relevant. In contrast, the control group showed no significant change, with mean scores of 5.47 ± 2.30 at T1 and 5.39 ± 2.15 at T2 (difference: 0.078; p = 0.79). Conclusion This study demonstrated that an intervention based on pain neuroscience education produced significant and clinically meaningful reductions in pain intensity in individuals with cancer pain.