|
|
The Scope of the Problem
Cancer is diagnosed in over 1 million Americans annually.
About 8 million Americans now have cancer or a history of cancer; half of these diagnoses were made within the past 5 years. Cancer causes 1 of every 10 deaths worldwide,441 and is increasingly prevalent in the United States where, according to the American Cancer Society, it causes 5 deaths -- about 1,400 per day.18
Pain associated with cancer is frequently undertreated in adults54 and children.336 Patients with cancer often have multiple pain problems.103 Cancer pain may be due to (1) tumor progression and related pathology (e.g., nerve damage), (2) operations and other invasive diagnostic or therapeutic procedures, (3) toxicities of chemotherapy and radiation, (4) infection, or (5) muscle aches when patients limit physical activity.160 The incidence of pain in patients with cancer depends on the type and stage of disease. At the time of diagnosis and at intermediate stages, 30 to 45 percent of patients experience moderate to severe pain.110 On average, nearly 75 percent of patients with advanced cancer have pain. Of cancer patients with pain, 40 to 50 percent report it as moderate to severe, and another 25 to 30 percent describe it as very severe.54
In approximately 90 percent of patients, cancer pain can be controlled through relatively simple means,181; 412; 461; 481 yet a consensus statement from the National Cancer Institute Workshop on Cancer Pain indicated that the "undertreatment of pain and other symptoms of cancer is a serious and neglected public health problem."348 The Workshop concluded that "...every patient with cancer should have the expectation of pain control as an integral aspect of his/her care throughout the course of the disease."348
Because cancer pain control is a problem of international scope, the World Health Organization (WHO) has urged that every nation give high priority to establishing a cancer pain relief policy.441 In the United States, many organizations have worked toward this goal. 6; 20; 199; 314; 434; 499
Go to the Pain in Patients with HIV/AIDS Menu
Go to the HIVpositive.us Main Menu
74