Resumo

ROJAS-SOLANO, José R.  e  SALAS-HERRERA, Isaías. Prevalencia y factores predictivos del dolor por cáncer. Acta méd. costarric [online]. 2002, vol.44, n.4, pp.144-148. ISSN 0001-6002.

Cancer pain is recognized as a public health problem world-wide, and frequently affects the quality of life of cancer patients. Its prevalence and severity varies according to the primary site, the stage of the disease, the adequacy of the analgesics prescribed, and some sociodemographic variables. Knowledge of the epidemiology of cancer pain is essential to establish priorities on cancer pain and palliative care policies. A review of the literature on the prevalence and predictive factors of cancer pain is presented.

Palavras-chave : dolor canceroso; cáncer; prevalencia; epidemiología.