Data is clear that many children with cancer at the end of life suffer substan tially.Treatment was viewed as successful in only 27% of the patients.Pain in children who are dying of cancer can be complex and challenging to manage.Childr en and parents are equal partners with members of the health care team in managi ng the patient’s pain.Prevention and alleviation of pain is a primary goal of ca re in the child dying of cancer.Children dying of cancer may require aggressive dosing of analgesics.Medications that do not have a dose maximum should be escal ated,sometimes rapidly,to achieve adequate pain control or to maintain pain cont rol when tolerance has occurred.The nurse’s role in caring for children who are in pain at the end-of-life includes assessment,identifying expected outcomes,a nd planning,performing,and evaluating interventions.
