Tumorschmerztherapie

Abstract

Pain belongs to the most prevalent symptoms that require patients with urological tumours to seek medical help. The treatment of cancer pain requires standardized guidelines that are best reflected by the WHO's three-step ladder of cancer pain relief. This implies an individualized approach, a detailed history taking of underlying pain and thorough clinical examination, as well as a consistent and forceful therapy of constant and breakthrough pain episodes, using pharmacological substances and non-pharmacological techniques. This requires the choice of the correct drug, an application "by the clock", an individualized dose titration, and the use of co-analgesics. For constant "background" pain, slow release substances are needed, whilst fast acting pain medication is given on demand for breakthrough pain episodes. Besides symptomatic analgesic therapy, cancer pain therapy may also comprise tumor specific treatment modalities, whenever appropriate and requested by the patient. This comprises radiation therapy, e.g. for bone or soft tissue processes or brain metastases, as well as radionuclide techniques, surgical procedures, chemotherapy, new substances or antihormonal therapy. Furthermore, pain is considered a multimodal experience that requires the consideration of psychical and social factors. This chapter describes the different facets of cancer pain, its epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnostics and therapeutic principles.