Does gender affect self-perceived pain in cancer patients? -A meta-analysis.
Yusuf Ahmed, Marko Popovic, Bo Angela Wan, Michael Lam, Henry Lam, Vithusha Ganesh, Milica Milakovic, Carlo DeAngelis, Leila Malek, Edward Chow
Author Information
Yusuf Ahmed: Department of Radiation Oncology, Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Marko Popovic: Department of Radiation Oncology, Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Bo Angela Wan: Department of Radiation Oncology, Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Michael Lam: Department of Radiation Oncology, Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Henry Lam: Department of Radiation Oncology, Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Vithusha Ganesh: Department of Radiation Oncology, Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Milica Milakovic: Department of Radiation Oncology, Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Carlo DeAngelis: Department of Radiation Oncology, Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Leila Malek: Department of Radiation Oncology, Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Edward Chow: Department of Radiation Oncology, Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Edward.chow@sunnybrook.ca.
BACKGROUND: Pain is reported in approximately 50-70% of cancer patients. Studies on gender differences in perceived pain generally report lower pain thresholds and increased pain prevalence in women, which may be attributed to gender-specific behaviors, stereotypes, and unknown etiological factors. There are sparse and inconclusive results on gender differences in self-perceived pain in the cancer setting. The aim of this article was to examine the effect of gender on baseline perceived pain intensity in cancer patients through a meta-analysis. METHODS: A literature search was conducted using Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials [1947-2016] to identify observational studies and controlled trials that reported on gender-specific pain intensity in cancer patients. Using random-effects modeling, weighted mean differences and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to estimate the effect of gender on pain severity in cancer patients. A P value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Of the 1,911 search results reviewed, 13 studies were included. The weighted mean difference (95% CI) in pain intensity was as follows: -0.26 (95% CI: -0.57 to 0.04, P=0.09) for the 0-10 Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) group (n=3,752, 9 studies). When restricted to only patients with advanced cancer, the weighted mean difference was -0.08 (95% CI: -0.36 to 0.20, P=0.58) (n=2,762, 4 studies). The weighted mean difference in the Brief Pain Inventory scores between males and females was 0.03 (95% CI: -1.23 to 1.29, P=0.96) (n=521, 4 studies). CONCLUSIONS: Baseline perceived pain intensity in cancer patients did not significantly differ based on gender.
