ASCO: Always screen cancer survivors for chronic pain

All adult cancer survivors should be screened for chronic pain at every visit, according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s first clinical practice guideline for managing this patient population. Estimates suggest that as many as 40% of the 14 million US adults living with cancer have chronic pain related to their malignancy. Yet most health care providers “haven’t been trained to recognize or treat long-term pain associated with cancer,” said Judith A. Paice, RN, PhD, in a press statement accompanying the release of the new guideline. To learn more about the key recommendations from the guideline, see this article from Family Practice News: http://www.familypracticenews.com/specialty-focus/pain/single-article-page/asco-always-screen-cancer-survivors-for-chronic-pain/5c182fdaacc6b573f00f001f3928749b.html.