The role of opioids in cancer pain management.

Opioids remain an important cornerstone in the treatment of cancer pain. Effective analgesia is obtained in the majority of cancer pain patients with the application of fairly straightforward algorithms using opioids as the main therapy. Many rational treatment algorithms exist. In this tutorial we will describe the role of opioids in the treatment of cancer pain, including a brief overview of cancer pain syndromes, essential aspects of opioid therapy, opioid pharmacology, opioid rotation, properties of the individual opioids, and management of common side effects of opioids.