[Assessment and Strategy for Nociceptive Pain in Cancer]

Pain is classified as either nociceptive pain, which results from a nociceptor stimulation, or neuropathic pain, which results from a lesion of the neural pathway. Clinically, in many cases, pain consists of a single origin but multiple origins are also possible. In this paper, we outline an assessment and strategy for nociceptive pain in cancer. The onset time, location, feature, strength, and etiology were included as categories for the assessment of pain. Furthermore, we added a psychosocial assessment to the physical assessment, which ensured comprehensive pain evaluation. We performed the investigation according to the WHO method for cancer pain relief. According to the effects and adverse effects, we chose a non-opioid analgesic and an opioid analgesic as medications. However, nonpharmacological therapy, such as radiotherapy and nerve block, is not a concern with the WHO analgesic ladder. It is important that a multi-disciplinary team, which includes physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, and pharmacists, support the patients to manage their pain by themselves through the knowledge of the factors affecting their pain and the medication methods for easing it when it gets worse. Although we cannot ease pain completely, it is important to define the goal of treatment with patients and to examine the strategy for maximum pain relief.