The epidemiology of cancer pain.

We identified 28 epidemiological surveys by applying a sensitive search in Medline and CancerLit databases, supplemented by hand searches. Only two surveys enrolled more than 10,000 patients with cancer. The remaining were hospital or clinic-based surveys of at most a few hundred patients.

Management of opioid side effects in cancer-related and chronic noncancer pain: a systematic review.

Side effects can limit opioid dosage and reduce quality of life. The purpose of this systematic review was to assess the management of opioid side effects in the context of cancer pain management or, in the event that no evidence was available for cancer pain, for chronic noncancer pain. The side effects studied were constipation, pruritus, nausea and vomiting, myoclonus, sedation, respiratory depression, and delirium.