Sinapsos Podcast | Oncology

E30   |  11 min   |   Latest   |  Publication Link

• Podcast based on: Cascella, M.; Perri, F.; Ottaiano, A.; Santorsola, M.; Marciano, M.L.; Rampetta, F.R.; Pontone, M.; Crispo, A.; Sabbatino, F.; Franci, G.; Esposito, W.; Cisale, G.; Romano, M.; Amato, F.; Scuotto, A.; Santoriello, V.; Ponsiglione, A.M. Linking Cancer Pain Features and Biosignals for Automatic Pain Assessment. Cancers 2026, 18, 646. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers18040646
  Type: Article  |  Publication date: 16 February 2026
  
  
• Summary: Although pain is a frequent and burdensome symptom in people with cancer, it is commonly evaluated using self-reported scales that may be unreliable in patients with cognitive, communicative, or clinical limitations. This study explored whether objective physiological signals could enhance cancer pain assessment. We analyzed electrodermal activity and heart rate variability recorded in cancer patients and examined their relationships with pain intensity and pain type. The results indicate that specific electrodermal activity parameters are associated with both pain intensity and distinct pain phenotypes (mainly mixed pain). In contrast, heart rate variability failed to provide meaningful discrimination in this context. Despite limitations, these findings suggest that electrodermal activity may represent a valuable objective marker to complement conventional pain scales and support the development of automated pain assessment approaches in oncology.
  
  
• Keywords: cancer pain; breakthrough cancer pain; biosignals; electrodermal activity; automatic pain assessment; heart rate variability

License and disclaimer:
Original article © 2026 by the authors. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This episode is an AI-generated audio adaptation of the article: the script and the voices are synthetic, changes were made, and the adaptation is not endorsed by the authors, the journal, or the publisher. It may contain errors or omissions, so consult the original publication before relying on any detail. It is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. The creators accept no liability for any use of this content.