Pregabalin for the management of neuropathic pain in adults with cancer: a systematic review of the literature

Objective: To systematically identify and appraise the current literature of pregabalin in the treatment of neuropathic pain resulting from cancer or cancer treatment.

Design: A systematic review of the literature was conducted based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.

Interventions and subjects: Studies reporting pregabalin data for adult (>18 years) patients with cancer experiencing neuropathic pain due to cancer or cancer treatment/surgery were considered eligible for inclusion.

Methods: A literature search was conducted in PubMed on February 22, 2012 using the following search terms: "neuropath* AND pain AND cancer OR oncology OR tumor OR tumour AND pregabalin." Open access journals were also searched. Abstracts were screened and reviewed for eligibility based on predetermined criteria for inclusion. Data reporting pain intensity, pain interference, quality of life, symptom quality and intensity, global impression of change, treatment satisfaction, and adverse effects were the predefined factors for analysis. Data were summarized descriptively due to variations in study outcome measures.

Results: Five articles were eligible for inclusion; one double-blind National Cancer Institute common toxicity criteria controlled trial, one single-arm open-label study, two observational analyses, and one case report.

Conclusions: There were limited published data reporting efficacy and safety outcomes for pregabalin in the treatment of neuropathic pain in adult patients with cancer. Due to limitations within the studies included in this review, it is not possible to draw any conclusions on the descriptive summary of pregabalin for the treatment of cancer-related neuropathic pain, and further studies are required.