One in three people will develop some kind of cancer in their lifetime. The overall cancer incidence has increased by 25% since 1975 and with anaesthetic involvement in hospital interactions estimated at around 75%, anaesthetists have major input into the care of the cancer patient. This input may start with the preoperative assessment and operation, but often extends to the intensive-care unit and the management of pain resulting from either the disease or from treatment interventions. This book is comprised of four main sections dealing with: cancer per se, anaesthesia for cancer surgery, intensive care, and pain management. The chapters are authored by acknowledged specialists in their field and are designed to break down what is often a complex area into comprehensible principles for treatment and management for the non-specialist. The anaesthesia section discusses not just major surgery but includes the specific and subtle differences that exist in the diverse types of specialist cancer surgery. The chapters related to pain deal with the current status of several specific cancer pain problems with contemporary evidence, recent developments in management, and novel ways of looking at conventional treatments such as the genetic aspects of opioid use.
