Undertreatment of Cancer Pain Remains a Persistent Problem in Oncology

The ASCO Post

"Closing Thoughts
Any last thoughts on this important issue?
We need to think of pain within a model of unmet palliative care needs, including the treatment of other symptoms and other quality-of-life concerns. The palliative care community is very intent on shifting palliative care forward, as a construct that begins upstream in illness. It’s not end-of-life care—it is care that should be initiated at the time of diagnosis.
Generalist-level palliative care should be offered to every patient with cancer as a best practice. Why shouldn’t a patient whose oncologist is working hard to keep him or her alive expect that same oncologist to evaluate and treat their symptoms of discomfort or pain? That’s one gap in care we need to fill."