Publisher's Synopsis
Only two US medical institutions (the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre in Seattle and New York's Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre) maintain established cancer pain services and engage in extensive, peer-reviewed investigations into the causes and effects of cancer pain. Now the directors of those programmes offer a survey of new discoveries and directions in cancer pain research and clinical management. Bringing together experts from Hutchinson, Sloan-Kettering and other institutions around the world, this volume identifies and discusses crucial issues in cancer pain, including the latest research findings, clinical strategies and therapeutic technologies for pain alleviation. Coverage encompasses both physiological and psychological perspectives and ranges from pain and analgesic mechanisms, to research and clinical trial methodology, to practical patient management guidelines.