Most patients with advanced cancer (60% to 80%) require treatment for pain. Pain may also be experienced in many patients with earlier stages of cancer or who have been successfully treated but have persistent pain. Effective management for cancer-related pain is well established and guidelines exist for its treatment, which have been endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other professional societies and government agencies. Despite the availability of effective treatments, cancer pain remains undertreated.

Topics covered in this module

• Nonpharmacologic, surgical, and anesthetic therapies for cancer pain
• Complementary or alternative medicine approaches
• End-of-life considerations

The American Medical Association is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The American Medical Association designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Non physicians may receive a certificate of participation for completing this activity.

The development of this CME web program was supported through an independent educational grant from Purdue Pharma L.P.

Release date, September 2007. Expiration date, December 2009.

Illustration Copyright © 2007 Scott Bodell
Bodell Communications, Inc.

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