Palliative medicine approach to patient with neuropathic pain

Palliative medicine implies care offered to patients in the advanced, terminal stage of oncologic and other chronic diseases. The goal of palliative care is symptom control and consequential improvement of the patient's quality of life. Pain is one of the most common symptoms in the advanced stage of many chronic diseases including neurologic ones. Neuropathic pain caused by the lesion and disease of the nociceptive system, with a prevalence of 8% in the general population of Europe, requires specific treatment which is frequently missed or inadequately applied. Current principles in the clinical approach and therapy for neuropathic pain in the frame of palliative care are described.