Abstract

REYES CHIQUETE, D.; GONZALEZ ORTIZ, J. C.; MOHAR BETANCOURT, A.  and  MENESES GARCIA, A.. Epidemiology of cancer pain. Rev. Soc. Esp. Dolor [online]. 2011, vol.18, n.2, pp.118-134. ISSN 1134-8046.

Each year, approximately, nine million people with cancer are diagnosed. Pain is one of the most common symptoms in this population. Its pathophysiology is multiple and varies from the painful symptoms caused by the disease itself until linked to diagnostic procedures and therapeutic, or else to that pain associated with non-oncological diseases linked to cancer. This review represents a critical analysis of epidemiological studies on the prevalence of cancer pain in the world population. Great variations are shown in prevalence, perhaps because of methodological issues that hinder the comparison of results. In others words, by different criteria used to conceptualize and characterize cancer pain, the contrasts among the study population and data collection methods. If we add to this that there are different types of pain therapeutics and may differ from one hospital to another, the validity and consistency of the reports are limited considerably. Mexican society little known about the prevalence of cancer pain and on personal and socioeconomic bias involved in this terrible disease. Whereas existing studies in the literature, we suggest that epidemiological investigations should be conducted under strict methodological control, studying the different age groups, type of pain, intensity, oncology diagnosis, clinical stage, used anticancer therapeutics, drug therapy and nonpharmacologic analgesic; without forgetting the adjuvant drugs associated with this management.

Keywords : Epidemiology; Pain; Cancer.

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