In part 2 of our Conquering the Cancer Care Continuum series, the focus is on pain management. Despite dramatic improvements in pharmaceutical agents, as well as surgical procedures designed to help control pain, we still have a long way to go to be successful on behalf of our patients.

Mrs S is a 58-year-old female who presented to the nurse practitioner complaining of fatigue and mid-thoracic back pain that had become worse in the last few weeks. She works full time as a fourth-grade teacher and cares for her 3 grandchildren every weekend while her daughter works.

JB is a 57-year-old male who presents to the emergency department complaining of acute left-sided chest pain (8/10 on a numeric pain scale) that has been ongoing for approximately 48 hours following a fall at home.

Pain management is a critical component of patient care in any medical specialty, but particularly in oncology. The 2 case presentations and discussions by Beth Faiman and Steve Stricker are common cases in which pain management is integral to the overall care of the patient.