Pain management issues for cancer survivors.

PURPOSE: The authors review issues that cancer survivors face daily related to pain management, the etiologies of pain in survivors, and ways to achieve successful pain management for cancer survivors.

OVERVIEW: The review includes a discussion of pain issues in the 6-month period after diagnosis and pain issues that may arise throughout survivorship. The authors describe a successful pain management program as including thorough and ongoing assessment, communication among the healthcare team members, interdisciplinary interventions, and reassessment of the whole management process. Various barriers to effective pain management are described.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: It is hoped that this review may give members of the multidisciplinary cancer care team new insights into the issues encountered by survivors regarding pain and potential therapeutic techniques.