The World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines for the management of cancer pain were evaluated in a continuing (palliative) care unit in a specialist cancer hospital. Twenty patients completed the study and all obtained good relief of pain within the first week, which was sustained for up to 76 weeks. Where there were specific indications, tumoricidal treatments (radiotherapy, chemotherapy and endocrine therapy) were used in conjunction with the WHO guidelines to achieve optimum symptom control. Eighteen of the 20 patients were treated with strong opioid analgesics (mainly morphine) for a mean period of 25.2 weeks (range 1 to 72 weeks). No serious adverse effects were associated with long-term morphine therapy.
