‘Old' and ‘new' drugs for the treatment of cancer pain

摘要: Introduction: More than 20 years ago the World Health Organization (WHO) published booklet ‘Cancer Pain Relief', including fundamentals and clear principles, which was summarized in five simple sentences: ‘by mouth', clock', ladder', ‘for individual' ‘attention to detail'. Over years, several modifications analgesic ladder have been proposed, as addition of two further steps, related switch opioid and/or non-invasive route administration, use invasive approaches, or again skip second step; nevertheless educational value benefits worldwide dissemination are paramount importance. Areas covered: To date, all guidelines inspired by strategy WHO; below some most important international last compared, particularly regards criteria choice opioids for moderate/severe pain. Expert opinion: The discussion on role second...