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Abstract

A substantial number of patients with cancer suffer considerable pain at some point during their disease, and approximately 25% of cancer patients die in pain [1]. Cancer pain is prevalent, undertreated, and feared by patients with cancer. The prevalence of pain in cancer patients at various stages of the disease range from 38 to 51%, and increases up to 74% in the advanced and terminal stages. Despite published World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for pain management, 42 to 51% of cancer patients receive inadequate analgesia and 30% receive no analgesics at all [2,3]. Reasons for under-treating cancer pain include attitudes of patients, clinicians, and factors associated with healthcare systems. Poorly managed cancer pain is well known to profoundly impact the patient's daily life and interfere with quality of life. To manage pain in oncology patients, clinicians should assess pain during regular follow-up visits using validated pain measurement tools and follow prescribing guidelines, if necessary referring patients with cancer to pain specialists. While much "treatment inertia" exists in cancer pain control, cancer pain can be safely and effectively managed and should be carried out to alleviate suffering and improve outcomes [4].