Leczenie przeciwbólowe pacjentów z nowotworami głowy i szyi

Abstract Many patients who suffer from cancer of the head and neck are not properly treated with analgetic drugs. The understanding of cancer-related mechanisms and ethiopathogenesis is a cornerstone of successful therapy. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and opioid analgesics are two of the most common classes of drugs used for the treatment of pain. Treatment should be based on analgetic ladder established by World Health Organization. For the cancer-related pain the oral route of analgesics is considered the one of choice but tumors of head and neck can cause mechanical obstacle for such administration. Therefore transdermal way is very convenient. Patient with cancer of head and neck especially those who underwent radiotherapy are better responsive for intranasal administration of opioids than to sublingual due to xerostomia. Additional treatment is based on adjuvant analgetics (especially for neuropathic pain and symptom control). It should be noted that many patients suffer also from side effects of analgetic drugs such as constipation, vomiting, peptic ulcers, esophagitis and small intestinal lesions. In order to diminish those adverse effects prevention should be administered.