End-of-life cancer patients' total pain: the necessity to supplement pharmacology with psycho-socio-spiritual treatments.

The aim of this article was to analyze in patients with oncological disease at the end-of-life different types of pain from which they can suffer, for example, physical pain, psychological distress and their various types of wellbeing. Moreover, we would like to assess if the drugs they assumed for their physical pain were sufficient to remove the pain. A total of 376 patients participated in the research. Their personal and medical data were gathered and they were invited to fill in some questionnaires investigating the presence of pain, anxiety, depression and quality of life. The results showed that physical pain was contained and well treated for almost all patients. Nevertheless, most of the patients had high anxiety and depression and low quality of life. It is important to provide patients with adequate pharmacological treatment, but also to offer them other types of interventions such as psychological support, psychotherapy, social support and spiritual support. Combining the pharmacological treatment with these interventions could be desirable to care for all the possible types of pain.