title: Emerging factors in the progression of cancer-related pain.
abstract: Most cancer patients experience severe pain during their disease course, and the management of cancer pain is a major challenge for patients and the healthcare team. Many diverse translational models of cancer pain in recent years have improved our understanding of cancer-related pain. Cancer and associated cells in the cancer microenvironment may release various peripheral mediators, including ATP, formaldehyde, protons, proteases, endothelin, bradykinin, TNF and NGF, that result in the activation and/or sensitization of peripheral and central neurons, that contribute to the clinical manifestations of cancer-related pain. Identification of these mediators and the peripheral and central mechanisms by which they contribute to cancer-related pain may provide novel therapeutic targets to alleviate cancer patient suffering.
authors.affiliation: Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.|University of Toronto Centre for the Study of Pain, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.|Dental Oncology, Maxillofacial & Ocular Prosthetics, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada.|Wasser Pain Management Centre, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: David K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Lam
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000072716:Cancer Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D059333:Central Nervous System Sensitization; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D017933:Peripheral Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology
keywords: ATP; NGF; allodynia; cancer pain; endothelin; hyperalgesia; proteases; protons; sensitization