Progress on standardized treatment for patients with general cancer pain and cancer pain during " peri-radiotherapeutic period"

Cancer pain is one of the main symptoms of patients suffering from malignant tumors. If it is not timely treated, it will lead to refractory pain and increase the burden on both the individuals and society. In China, the program titled" Good Pain Management" has been carried out for nearly 7 years, which increases the overall assessment and treatment levels for cancer pain among medical personnel. Nevertheless, the clinical efficacy for cancer pain treatment is not satisfactory. As an important treatment for malignant tumors, radiation therapy is also one of the main methods for treating cancer pain. For the first time, we proposed the concept of " peri-radiotherapeutic period" , and emphasized the continuous analgesic treatment for patients with cancer pain before, during and after radiotherapy. In this article, current status of cancer pain treatment at home and abroad was illustrated, and standardized assessment and management of cancer pain during the " peri-radiotherapeutic period" were summarized. Key words: Cancer pain; Neoplasm/radiotherapy; Peri-radiotherapeutic period; Opioid drug