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Questions and Answers
What percentage of cancer patients suffer from pain at the time of diagnosis?
What is the main reason for the success of the WHO's analgesic ladder approach?
What is the priority of oral administration of drugs according to the text?
What percentage of cancer pain syndromes are therapy-induced according to the text?
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What is the recommended approach to administering medication according to the text?
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What type of pain medications are preferred for dose titration and breakthrough pain?
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At which step in the analgesic ladder are weak opioids added?
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What prevents the proper use and availability of morphine according to the text?
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What is a common misconception that prevents the use of morphine to relieve pain, as mentioned in the text?
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Why does strict regulation of morphine lead to shortages, according to the text?
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Study Notes
Cancer Pain Management
- At diagnosis, one-third of cancer patients experience pain, increasing to two-thirds in advanced stages.
- Cancer itself causes 80-90% of pain syndromes, while 20-40% are therapy-induced.
- Only 2-4% of cancer patients suffer from chronic pain unrelated to cancer.
WHO's Analgesic Ladder
- The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a stepwise approach to pain management using analgesic drugs.
- The WHO ladder is a flexible framework for managing cancer pain, not a rigid protocol.
Oral Administration
- Oral administration of drugs is safe, effective, and easy, promoting patient autonomy.
- Drugs are administered according to their duration of activity, with fixed time intervals for medication.
Pain Therapy
- Pain therapy is built up stepwise, starting with nonopioids.
- Weak opioids are added in step II, replaced by strong opioids if pain control remains insufficient.
- Nonopioids are continued in steps II and III, with co-analgesic drugs added as needed.
Barriers to Pain Management
- Lack of education and training among health professionals and patients hinders effective pain management.
- Fear of addiction and strict regulation of morphine also limit its availability and use.
- However, studies have shown that addiction is rare when morphine is used to treat cancer pain.
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Description
Test your knowledge on the pharmacological management of pain in late stage cancer patients. Learn about the prevalence of pain in cancer, causes of pain syndromes, and current treatment guidelines based on the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations.
