Cancer pain management: a recent experience by anaesthesiologists in a teaching hospital in Hong Kong.

: More than 60% of cancer patients suffers from unbearable pain, especially towards their terminal stages. Anaesthesiologists are involved in cancer pain management because of their expertise in analgesic pharmacology and neurolytic procedures. This manuscript reported on the experience of treating cancer pain in Chinese patient in Hong Kong with reference to current literature in other parts of the world. One hundred and sixty two Chinese patients were referred from other specialists to the Department of Anaesthesiology, Queen Mary Hospital for further management because of their cancer pain control were considered difficult. Upon referral, the mean visual analogue scale of pain (VAS) was 5.8 +/- 2.7. The pain caused insomnia (66.7%) and appetite loss (45%) as well. By far most (80%) patients' pain were successively controlled with oral systemic analgesics. These were prescribed in form of a combination of NSAID (72.2%), potent opioids (76.5%) and co-analgesics (21.6%). In our series, the mean oral morphine (MS Continus) requirements was 96.0 +/- 68.3 mg on discharge. Frequent nausea and constipation persisted in 16.0% and 8.0% respectively despite active treatment with anti-emetics and laxatives. Twenty eight neurolytic blocks was performed in 22 (13.6%) patients. Good pain relief was achieved in 78.6%. Overall speaking most patients (90.7%) were able to achieve adequate analgesia before death.