Abstract
Purpose of Review
Cancer-associated pain is a serious and feared consequence of advanced disease, particularly in the emergency room setting, when the treating physician, and a full history of the condition is often unavailable. Opioids remain the mainstay of cancer pain treatment, and with this come the side effects and complications of opioid use, which are attenuated in the cancer pain patient who already may have anxiety and depression exacerbating their pain symptoms. This article seeks to provide an update on the current knowledge and concepts in cancer pain management with an attempt to provide practical education for use in the emergency room.
Recent Findings
Pain presents in various ways, manifesting as either nociceptive or neuropathic types. Classification systems such as the DN4 questionnaire and the Zubrod scoring system have been established in an attempt to provide guidelines for the evaluation and treatment of cancer-associated pain and provide a quick and efficient way to evaluate pain in the ER setting and to guide treatment.
Summary
There are many options for pain control in the cancer patient, consisting of intravenous, oral, or topical medications in order to address the full spectrum of pain, and selection of the appropriate treatment should address as much of the nociceptive and neuropathic pain components as possible, often requiring combination therapy.
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Sarah Money and Boris Garbler declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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Money, S., Garber, B. Management of Cancer Pain. Curr Emerg Hosp Med Rep 6, 141–146 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40138-018-0170-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40138-018-0170-9