Evaluating pregabalin in cancer patients with chronic neuropathic pain and depression: an observational case series

Table 1 Detailed characteristics of patients recruited in the study

Characteristic	Details	Concomitant medications
Total number of patients	10
Gender	6 females, 4 males
Mean age	65 years
Age range	50-80 years
Cancer types	Lung cancer: 4 patients (40%)	Cisplatin; Paclitaxel; Ondansetron; Dexamethasone; Diclofenac
	Breast cancer: 3 patients (30%)	Doxorubicin; Cyclophosphamide; Zolendronic acid; Letrozole;Anastrozole; Dexamethasone; Diclofenac
	Prostate cancer: 2 patients (20%)	Leuprolide; Enzalutamide; Zolendronic acid; Diclofenac
	Pancreatic cancer: 1 patient (10%)	Gemcitabine; 5-Fluorouracil; Dexamethasone; Diclofenac

Table 2 Detailed demographics and Baseline investigations of each patient (n = 10) recruited in the study

Sl. No.	Gender	Age	Height (cm)	Weight (kg)	Baseline investigations
1	Female	67	172	58	LFT: WNL; KFT: WNL
2	Female	64	170	50	NA
3	Female	62	168	49	LFT: WNL; KFT: WNL
4	Female	66	165	52	NA
5	Female	61	171	60	LFT: WNL; KFT: WNL
6	Female	65	169	55	LFT: WNL; KFT: WNL
7	Male	80	175	60	NA
8	Male	66	173	64	NA
9	Male	69	172	57	LFT: WNL; KFT: WNL
10	Male	71	180	68	NA

LFT: Liver function test; KFT: Kidney function test; WNL: Within normal limit; NA: Not available.

Table 3 Change in pain intensity using brief pain inventory score during the treatment period

Time point	BPI mean score	Standard deviation	Reduction from baseline	Percentage reduction (%)
Baseline	7.8	1.2	-	-
4 weeks	5.2	1.4	2.6	33.3
8 weeks	4.1	1.5	3.7	47.4

BPI: Brief pain inventory.

Table 4 Change in depression severity using Hamilton depression rating scale during the treatment period

Time point	HDRS mean score	Standard deviation	Reduction from baseline	Percentage reduction (%)
Baseline	18.5	4.0	-	-
4 weeks	13.2	4.1	5.3	28.4
8 weeks	9.8	3.6	8.7	47.0

HDRS: Hamilton depression rating scale.

Table 5 Reported side effects during the entire study period

Side effect	Number of patients	Percentage of total patients (%)
Dizziness	5	50
Drowsiness	4	40
Weight gain	3	30
Dry mouth	2	20

Table 6 Dose adherence to pregabalin 150 mg twice daily during the study period of 8 weeks

Dose adjustment	Number of patients	Percentage of total patients (%)
Increased to 300 mg twice daily	3	30
No change	7	70

Table 7 Treatment adherence rate of patients with pregabalin during the study period of 8 weeks

Adherence rate	Number of patients	Percentage of total patients (%)
Completed study period	10	100