The case history of a 14-year-old male pediatric oncology patient is presented to illustrate a complex problem in pain management. The patient had multifocal osteosarcoma and was treated with chemotherapy. Because his disease was never under control and always advancing, his pain was constantly changing. The numerous pathologies that caused his pain, its various characteristics, and the attempts made to alleviate it varied. Methods to assess and strategies to relieve pain, as well as the evaluation of pain relief interventions, are described.
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