[Pain therapy in palliative ENT patients].

Alleviation of physical complaints through pain management and symptom control represents an essential part of a palliative treatment concept. Persistent cancer pain in palliative care leads to a significant reduction in quality of life. Evaluation of pain on the basis of a detailed pain history allows recognition of the types of pain and initiation of a corresponding effective pain therapy. The basis of cancer pain therapy in palliative patients is transdermal and oral administration of long-acting analgesics according to a fixed time schedule. Especially important is the detection and treatment of breakthrough pain. For this form of pain, sufficiently effective analgesics with a fast effect are available. Palliative otorhinologic (ENT) patients often pose a major challenge to their treating physicians, as advanced oropharyngeal tumors are often associated with dysphagia. The following article presents an overview of the possibilities of drug-based cancer pain therapy in palliative ENT patients.