Survey of Cancer Pain and Its Treatment

Abstract:Objective To explore understanding for cancer pain that patients held and the attitude towards the cancer pain treatment that medical staff had in cancer hospitals,as well as community medical staffs attitude towards cancer pain.To analyze convenient drugs supports to patients, when cancer patients return to community hospitals. Methods One hundred and twenty cancer patients in Hubei Cancer Hospital were inquired using a self-designed "Pain Questionnaire" from the March 9, 2009 to April 9, 2009.Questionnaires were collected and analyzed. Results The investigation showed that prevalence of cancer pain is as high as 43.3%, especially in advanced cancer.Patients received drug treatment were 59.6%, physical therapy were 26.9% and chemoradiotherapy13.5%.Patients agents were administrated regularly, however, only accounted for 34.6% in all patients treated with drugs.38.5% of cases receiving therapy obtained more than 70% pain relief.Noticeably, 25% of patients have less than 50% degree of remission.86.5% of all cases believed that community hospitals were unable to provide satisfactory treatment. Conclusion The present treatment of cancer pain can not reach the goal of comprehensively controlling pain, so knowledges of standardized treatment of cancer pain that community hospital medical staff hold should be improved.Moreover, cancer pain treatment in basic and community hospitals will be more efficacious through application of the principles of WHO three step analgesic ladder.