Managing Pain in the Older Cancer Patient
- Resource Type
- Authors
- Donal J. Buggy; Dylan Finnerty; Áine O'Gara
- Source
- Current Oncology Reports. 21
- Subject
- Complementary Therapies
0301 basic medicine
medicine.medical_specialty
Analgesic
Medical Oncology
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Behavior Therapy
Multidisciplinary approach
Managing pain
medicine
Humans
Pain Management
Patient group
Bone pain
Intensive care medicine
Aged
Analgesics
Radiotherapy
business.industry
Cancer
Cancer Pain
Pain management
medicine.disease
030104 developmental biology
Oncology
Geriatrics
030220 oncology & carcinogenesis
Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation
medicine.symptom
business
Cancer pain
- Language
- ISSN
- 1534-6269
1523-3790
This paper aims to give the specialist and non-specialist alike an overview of the considerations involved in the management of cancer-related pain in the older population. Comprehensive guidelines on cancer pain management have been published recently by expert bodies. Cancer pain differs in many respects to other pain conditions and we are likely to encounter it more frequently in older patients in the future. The elderly are more sensitive to the effects of many analgesic medications. The elderly patient with cancer pain presents a unique challenge to the treating physician. The biological effects of ageing impact on the efficacy of many pain management strategies as well as its diagnosis and assessment. Treatment options can be broadly divided into pharmacological, non-pharmacological and interventional. A multidisciplinary approach and frequent re-assessment are essential in achieving favourable outcomes in this patient group.