Pain treatment in gynaecological cancer.

Abstract

Women suffering from gynaecological malignancies are highly represented in patients with cancer pain: 19.3% of tumour related deaths in females are caused by breast carcinoma, 7.1% by carcinoma of the uterus, 6.7% by ovarian carcinoma and 2.3% by other malignant gynaecological tumours. These tumours may give rise to severe pain due to osseous metastases, nerve or plexus infiltration, soft tissue infiltration and (in the case of ovarian carcinoma) obstruction of the gastrointestinal tract. The experience represented in the literature and our own experience demonstrate that there are very effective measurements of symptom control in cancer pain. Based on the results of a specialized cancer pain control clinic at the University of Düsseldorf, Germany, recommendations will be given for the treatment of cancer pain. The use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, weak and strong acting opioids and co-analgesics in relation to the different sites of metastases as well as neurosurgical and anaesthetic manoeuvres are the subject of the presentation. Furthermore an overview of the psycho-social care of cancer patients by the social worker and the priest will be given.