[Cancer pain management. Basic therapy and treatment of breakthrough pain].

Cancer pain imposes a great burden on patients and results in considerable constraints limiting their quality of life. The basic treatment for chronic pain consists in oral administration of long-acting preparations of various analgesic agents according to a set schedule. In addition to chronic pain, however, about 60% of cancer patients also suffer from breakthrough pain. Rapid-onset and short-acting preparations of highly potent opioids are available for the management of these attacks. To choose the correct analgesic agent, it is essential to take a comprehensive medical history and be aware of the different forms of pain present.