Current opinion in anaesthesiology
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Oct 2015
ReviewBreakthrough pain in cancer patients: prevalence, mechanisms and treatment options.
The aim of this article was to examine the definition, the characteristics, and the management of breakthrough cancer pain (BTP) in cancer patients by a critical review of recent literature. ⋯ BTP represents a serious problem reported by many cancer patients despite receiving regular use of opioids. Subgroups of breakthrough pain have been identified. Different modalities of pharmacological interventions are available. Further studies are warranted to assess the net benefit of these drugs to assist decision-making by patients, clinicians, and payers according to individual clinical conditions.