1 Pain often is a sensitive indicator of the course and progression of cancer.
Treatment normally is straightforward.
Analgesic therapies and treatments directed toward the underlying disease generally are effective. In contrast, neither the time course nor therapies are as straightforward in the management of chronic pain. Epidemiological studies suggest that 20 percent to 25 percent of cancer patients with chronic pain have pain related to cancer treatment. 1-2 Table 1 provides a partial list of chronic pain syndromes associated with cancer therapy. Recognition of post-treatment pain syndromes is important for several reasons.