[Pain and pain relief in tumor diseases]

1. Not all tumor patients but only about 10% of ambulatory and 30-40% of hospitalized patients in a medical oncology department experienced pain. 2. Excruciating pain is extremely rare (1-2%), and pain in tumor patients does not always automatically mean "tumor progression". Quality and etiology of pain must be assessed and adequately treated. 3. The best and longest-lasting pain relief is experienced with specific antineoplastic therapy, even if only of palliative intention. 4. Local pain relief measures (by surgery, radiotherapy, nerve blocks) should be discussed prior to the introduction of unqualified chronic pharmacologic pain relief. 5. In chronic tumor pain with no possibility of specific or local treatment, effective pain relief by analgesic drugs represents the most valuable therapy left. 6. Pain prophylaxis (at appropriate dosage intervals) is advisable, preferably with oral analgesics and based on successful step-wise guidelines. 7. Effective pain therapy and prophylaxis foster ameliorated life quality and social integration and should not simply "switch off" the patients from the people caring for them. 8. The influence of the patient's psychological background on the intensity and/or frequency of pain should not be disregarded (problem solution).