Psychological approaches to cancer pain management

Cancer is an important medical and public health problem. Each year more than 1.2
million individuals in the United states are diagnosed with the disease and more than
50,0000 die from it (Garfinkel, 1995). Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the
United States (after heart disease) and a major source of premature mortality among both
men and women (Garfinkel, 1995). It is estimated that 70 out of 100,000 people develop
cancer (between 5 and 6 lakh cases) annually in India (National Cancer Registry, 1987). It
strikes all ages and all social, ethnic, religious, and cultural strata. Studies indicated that
there was a meteoric rise in the mortality rate associated with Cancer. At the turn of the
20th century, cancer was the eighth leading cause of death, far behind infectious illness,
heart disease and stroke, accounting for 3% of death in the United States (Institute for the
Future, 2000). Now cancer accounts for approximately 23% of deaths in the United States
(Hoyert, Kochanek & Murphy, 1999).