Most cancer patients can attain satisfactory relief of pain through an approach that incorporates primary treatments, oral or parenteral analgesic therapy, and at times, other noninvasive psychological or rehabilitative interventions.
Occasional patients benefit from invasive therapies.
Continuity of care is essential and requires ongoing assessment and the capacity to respond flexibly to the patient's changing needs. The assessment may reveal a cause for the pain that is amenable to primary therapy. For pain produced by tumor infiltration or compression, antineoplastic treatment with surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or other approaches may be considered. In the United States, these drugs include codeine, hydrocodone, dihydrocodeine, oxycodone, or propoxyphene. This drug is typically combined with a nonopioid and may be coadministered with an adjuvant analgesic.