Prostate cancer: palliative care and pain relief

Introduction: Metastatic prostate cancer is incurable and causes significant morbidity. The focus of treatment should be on improving quality of life through appropriate oncological treatment and palliative care. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidelines for urological cancer recommends palliative care for all patients with prostate cancer, according to need. This paper outlines the principles of modern palliative care in patients with metastatic prostate cancer within the UK. Discussion: We highlight the main physical symptoms encountered in metastatic prostate cancer and their management. We also introduce the UK Department of Health's 'End-of-Life Care Programme'. This initiative intends to improve the lives and deaths of all patients with incurable disease and should be a priority for all health care professionals, within any setting. Conclusion: Clearly, we have addressed the management of metastatic prostate cancer within the UK setting, though any of these government initiatives may provide a resource and framework in other countries.