Incidence of carnitine deficiency in patients with cancer pain: A pilot study

Sakai,Kiyohiro; Matsuoka,Hiromichi; Ohtake,Yoichi; Makimura,Chihiro; Izumi,Hiroaki; Fujita,Yoshihiko; Otsuka,Masatomo; Tsurutani,Junji; Nishio,Kazuto; Nakagawa,Kazuhiko; Koyama,Atsuko

doi:10.3892/mco.2017.1159

March-2017 Volume 6 Issue 3

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March-2017 Volume 6 Issue 3

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Article Open Access

Incidence of carnitine deficiency in patients with cancer pain: A pilot study

Authors:
- Kiyohiro Sakai
- Hiromichi Matsuoka
- Yoichi Ohtake
- Chihiro Makimura
- Hiroaki Izumi
- Yoshihiko Fujita
- Masatomo Otsuka
- Junji Tsurutani
- Kazuto Nishio
- Kazuhiko Nakagawa
- Atsuko Koyama
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Affiliations: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, Osaka 589‑8511, Japan, Department of Genome Biology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, Osaka 589‑8511, Japan, Department of Palliative Care, Sakai Hospital, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, Osaka 590‑0132, Japan, Department of Medical Oncology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, Osaka 589‑8511, Japan

Copyright: © Sakai et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.
Pages: 331-333
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Published online on: February 7, 2017

https://doi.org/10.3892/mco.2017.1159
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Abstract

Carnitine deficiency is reportedly associated with increased pain sensation in diabetes mellitus and fibromyalgia, but the association between serum carnitine concentration and cancer pain has not been fully elucidated. We investigated the incidence of carnitine deficiency in patients with cancer pain, and examined the effect of the patients' demographic and clinical characteristics on pain intensity and carnitine deficiency. The serum carnitine concentration was measured in 50 patients with cancer pain receiving non‑steroidal anti‑inflammatory drugs, but not opioids. Multivariate regression analysis was used to determine the association of carnitine concentration, pain intensity, age and gender with hemoglobin and C‑reactive protein (CRP) concentrations. Carnitine deficiency was detected in 9 of the patients (18.0%) and found to be significantly correlated with an elevated CRP concentration (P=0.039). In conclusion, although there does not appear to be an association between carnitine deficiency and cancer pain, it may be affected by inflammation or infection.

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Journals

International Journal of Molecular Medicine

International Journal of Oncology

Molecular Medicine Reports

Oncology Reports

Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine

Oncology Letters

Biomedical Reports

Molecular and Clinical Oncology

World Academy of Sciences Journal

International Journal of Functional Nutrition

International Journal of Epigenetics

Medicine International

Incidence of carnitine deficiency in patients with cancer pain: A pilot study

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