Pain rehabilitation. 3. Cancer pain, pelvic pain, and age-related considerations

This self-directed learning module highlights assessment and therapeutic options in the management of cancer pain, pelvic pain, and the pain problems of the elderly and children. It is part of the chapter on pain rehabilitation in the Self-Directed Medical Knowledge Program for practitioners and trainees in physical medicine and rehabilitation. This article delineates causes of cancer pain, discusses strategies for approaching each specialized population, and provides specific clinical examples to illustrate management issues, with emphasis on prevention. New advances include understanding the pain experience in children and elderly adults; investigation of psychosocial aspects of pelvic pain; and use of patient-controlled analgesia, opioids, and multimodality techniques for acute, perioperative, and chronic pain in these age groups.