1. Pain in Blood Cancers.
- Author
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Niscola, Pasquale, Tendas, Andrea, Scaramucci, Laura, Giovannini, Marco, and Sanctis, Vitaliana De
- Subjects
PAIN diagnosis ,PREVENTIVE medicine ,THERAPEUTIC use of narcotics ,ANALGESICS ,CANCER chemotherapy ,NERVOUS system ,PAIN ,PAIN measurement ,HEMATOLOGIC malignancies ,DISEASE complications ,SYMPTOMS - Abstract
Patients with blood-related cancers (BRC) suffer from a substantial symptom burden, including several pain syndromes sustained by different causes and pathogenetic mechanisms. So, with regard to pain, a multifaceted clinical scenario may be observed in this setting. Indeed, pain may be correlated to disease itself, to diseaseassociated complications, to iatrogenic causes or may be due to unrelated clinical conditions. A close diagnostic procedure for the assessment of the underlying causes of the pain and of its pathogenetic mechanisms may direct the treatment approach which should be based on a multidisciplinary management and requires the integration of etiology-targeted interventions and painkilling drugs. The World Health Organization's three-step analgesic ladder for cancer pain relief can provide adequate pain control using oral drugs in most patients with BRC on pain, although more complex interventions may be necessary for many difficult-to-treat pain syndromes which are not infrequently encountered in this setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2011
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