Chronic Pain and Depression among Cancer Survivors

Abstract

Background: Chronic pain is a highly prevalent and disabling concern among the 18 million cancer survivors in the United States, yet it is understudied. This study aimed to assess the time trends and related risk factors of chronic pain among cancer survivors. Methods: Using data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), we included adult US cancer survivors from 2010 to 2021. Chronic pain was the outcome of interest, defined as pain on most days or every day during the past 3 months. Joinpoint regression models estimated annual percentage changes (APC) of chronic pain prevalence and multivariable logistic regression models estimated odds of experiencing chronic pain across different subgroups. Results: The final study sample included 377,509 respondents, with 39,473 (10.5%) reporting a history of cancer. Reported chronic pain prevalence decreased from 2016 among both cancer survivors (APC = -7.38%, 95% CI: -35.16%, 32.30%) and non-cancer individuals (APC = -4.71%, 95% CI: -12.34%, 3.59%). Compared to non-cancer individuals, cancer survivors had 20% higher odds of experiencing chronic pain (aOR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.14, 1.27). Among cancer survivors, those with moderate depression had 40% higher odds of experiencing chronic pain (aOR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.29, 1.52), while those with severe depression had 166% higher odds (aOR = 2.66, 95% CI: 2.34, 3.02), compared to those without depression. Conclusions: The association between chronic pain and depression calls for more targeted interventions or strategies towards pain management for cancer survivors to improve their life of quality and enhance overall survivorship.