Good clinical practice guide for control of oncological pain

Patients with cancer often do not mention their pain as they are afraid that the doctor will be distracted towards this symptom instead of focusing on the treatment of their primary disease. However, should know that the treatment of their pain not only does it not interfere with their remedial therapy, but also contributes to it. It is usual, among patients, to be afraid that the advance of the disease may lead to situations of unsustainable suffering which may exceed all the medical possibilities, but it is our duty to help them to be aware that medicine offers a wide range of treatments to relieve their pain and prevent them suffering. This knowledge is essential to increase their confidence in the treatment and to improve the doctor-patient relationship. Faced with this challenge, the Spanish Society of Palliative Care, the Spanish Pain Society, the Spanish Medical Oncology Society, and the Spanish Society of Radiotherapeutic Oncology, have joined forces and created ALIADO (Alliance Against Oncological Pain), a multidisciplinary working group which was founded with the purpose of raising the awareness and involving all medical groups in the need to improve the quality of life of the patient with oncological pain. The first initiative of ALIADO in this direction, is the preparation of a good practice code for the treatment of oncological pain, which attempts to contribute to the advance of knowledge and treatment of these patients. (C) 2011 Sociedad Espanola de Cuidados Paliativos. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L. All rights reserved.