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Management of Cancer Pain

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Abstract

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States after heart diseases. Center of Disease Control estimated number of cancer deaths in 2005 to 559,312. Cancer constitutes 22.8% of the total death in the United States. Lung cancer is the most common fatal cancer in men (31%), followed by colon and rectum (10%), and prostate (9%). In women, lung (26%), breast (15%), and colon and rectum (10%) are the leading causes of cancer death. Most patients with cancer have pain. Cancer pain can develop from tumor invasion, musculoskeletal pain, visceral pain, radiation treatment effect, or neuropathy from chemotherapy. The incidence of pain in cancer patients receiving active treatment for early disease is about 20–25%. The incidence of pain in cancer patient with advanced disease is about 90%. More than 50% of patients with cancer pain have only one or two locations of pain. This fact usually gives the opportunity for interventional pain doctors to help patients with pain. Many cancer patients present with a combination of pain types such as visceral and somatic pain. Up to 90% of cancer pain patients respond well to medical treatment. A high percentage of the remaining individuals also respond well to interventional pain techniques (Portenoy 1989).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, University of Toledo Medical Center, OH, Toledo, USA

    Joseph N. Atallah MD (Chief, Pain Service)

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  1. Joseph N. Atallah MD
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, Dept. Anesthesiology, Yale University, Cedar Street 333, New Haven, 06520-8051, Connecticut, USA

    Nalini Vadivelu

  2. Brigham & Women's Hospital, Dept. Anesthesia, Harvard Medical School, Francis St. 75, Boston, 02115, Massachusetts, USA

    Richard D. Urman

  3. School of Medicine, Dept. Anesthesiology, Yale University, Cedar Street 333, New Haven, 06520-8051, Connecticut, USA

    Roberta L. Hines

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Atallah, J.N. (2011). Management of Cancer Pain. In: Vadivelu, N., Urman, R., Hines, R. (eds) Essentials of Pain Management. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-87579-8_28

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-87579-8_28

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-87578-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-87579-8

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