DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2015.v03i07.060

Pages: 2738-2741

It is important to control of malignant pain and a related symptom is in cancer patients. To achieve the adequate pain control and best quality of life for patients, oncologists and palliative care clinicians must work together to understand problems related to psychologic, social, and spiritual pain. Pain is the primary problem targeted for control using the World Health Organization's (WHO) analgesic ladder to fulfil the broader objectives of palliative medicine. There are several classes of drugs that are currently used to treat cancer pain: 1) nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, with emphasis on cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors; 2) opioid analgesics, with specific emphasis on methadone and its newly recognized value in cancer pain; 3) ketamine, an antagonist at N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors; and 4) bisphosphonates, used for pain resulting from bone metastases. This article tells about newer drugs and drug delivery approaches to cancer pain management.