[Diagnosis and therapy of pain in pediatric oncology]

Pain in pediatric oncology must be taken care of after years of neglection. On an average of 62% of tumours pain is of therapeutic relevance. In cancer relapse and final states incidence of pain increases up to 90%. Treatment of acute pain is not difficult, chronic pain however affords a special procedure: individual dosage with optimal suppression of pain whole day long, often combination of different methods, will give sufficient longtime results. Around 4/5 of pediatric cancer pain can be treated by pharmacological regime using central and antiphlogistic analgesics. Additional methods are local anesthesia, transcutaneous nerve stimulation, physiotherapy, psychotherapy and seldom neurosurgical intervention. The optimal treatment of cancer pain is part of a consequent oncological procedure. Some more effort is necessary to reach the most possible quality of life in these children.