Treatment of cancer pain in the elderly

In around 70% of cases, cancer pain in the elderly may be related to the disease itself, to its treatment or care, or to any of the other comorbidities common in this ageing population. Management of these patients is always comprehensive, combining general measures with specific drug and non-drug therapies. In all cases, cancer-specific treatment remains the reference treatment for pain linked to the disease itself. In cases where etiological treatment is not appropriate in the patient’s management, or in any case to complement the analgesic effect of the latter, analgesics of the three WHO levels will be indicated. Their prescription, for purely symptomatic purposes, is based on the same rules in onco-geriatrics as for any other patient. Finally, the multiplicity of causes of such pain, and the many means available to manage it, must not interfere with a rigorous diagnostic and therapeutic approach. Thus, the need to know the precise and safe handling of analgesics or other associated molecules, which may be used to treat pain, must be taken into account.