Evaluation and Pain Management in Children with Cancer: About 48 Cases in Dakar

Abstract

Fattah M, Fattah R, Sow NF, Diagne Akonde FB, Diouf MN, Keita Y, Ndongo AA, Sylla A, Moreira C and Ndiaye O

Introduction: Pain is ubiquitous in cancer and is the most dreaded symptom in children with cancer. It is a medical emergency. In Senegal, there is little data on the assessment and management of pain in children. The objective of this study is to evaluate the role of morphine in cancer pain management in children.

Methodology: This is a prospective study carried out over a period of 4 and a half months (from April 15 to August 31, 2017). All children hospitalized at the pediatric Oncology Department and who used morphine as part of their treatment were included in this study. The hospital prevalence was 69.5%. The most common tumor pathologies found were acute leukemia, followed by nephroblastoma and Burkitt’s lymphoma.

Results: Pain was present for an average of 30.3 days; It was abdominal in half of the cases. Nociceptive pain was present in 89.6% of cases. An average 40% reduction in pain intensity was observed following morphine administration on the first day. Analgesia was obtained on average after 6 days.

Conclusion: Morphine has a crucial role in pain management in children with cancer. Efforts still need to be made in our unit to improve the quality of pain management in children.

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