Cancer Pain Drug Management : The Influence of Possible Drug Interaction on The outcome of Treatment

Abstract

Pain IS a common symptom m the patient with cancer. Surveys indicate that pain is experienced by 30 - 60 % of cancer patients during • active therapy and more than two-thirds of those with advanced disease.

Unrelieved pain is incapacitating and precludes a satisfying quality of life, it interferes with physical functioning and social interaction, and is strongly associated with heightened psychological distress. Persistent pain interferes with the ability to eat, sleep, think, interact with others and correlated with fatigue in cancer patients. The relationship between pain and psychological well-being is complex and reciprocal, mood disturbance and beliefs about the meaning of pain in relation to illness can exacerbate perceived pain intensity, the presence of pain is a major determinant of function and mood. The presence of pain can provoke or exacerbate existential distress, disturb normal processes of coping and adjustment, and augment a sense of vulnerability, contributing to preoccupation with the potential for

catastrophic outcomes.