[Pain control in terminal cancer]

Pain is a major symptom in more than two-thirds of patients with far-advanced cancer. Pain control is thus one of the most significant ways to enable terminally ill cancer patients to live full lives up until the moment of death. Analgesic drug therapy is the mainstay of cancer pain management. It is effective in more than 90% of patients if used correctly: the right drug in the right dose at the right intervals. A thorough history should first be obtained and the patient examined carefully. For mild to moderate pain, a nonopioid analgesic such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug or acetaminophen should be prescribed for the patient. If and when this treatment no longer relieves the pain, the patient should receive a strong opioid such as morphine or buprenorphine, together with a co-analgesic, if appropriate. The patient must receive careful and frequent supervision to ensure that the treatment continues to match the pain effectively and to take precautionary measures against side effects.