Cancer pain management

The management of cancer-related pain is often quite different from the management of chronic benign pain (see companion article by Thomas Elliott, M.D., page 28). As cancer therapy becomes increasingly complex, the management of pain and other symptoms requires more innovative approaches as well. This article begins with a basic overview of how to evaluate the patient with cancer pain, offers simple opiate use guidelines, and discusses newer agents for neuropathic and somatic pain. Finally, it discusses how future pain management strategies may hinge on research and cites examples of studies being performed in Minnesota.