Cancer Pain Management Service

The Cancer Pain Management Service (CPMS) at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center uses a team approach to reducing pain in cancer patients. The expertise of anesthesiologists trained in pharmacologic and interventional pain management, psychologists, nurses, acupuncturists, physical and occupational therapists, nutritionists, and social workers merges into a comprehensive pain management plan designed to meet the individual needs of each patient. The first step is to assess the patient’s level of pain from the information provided on the Comprehensive Pain Assessment Questionnaire. This knowledge pinpoints the areas and nature of each patient’s discomfort and guides the team in selecting the most appropriate treatment or treatments to relieve the patient’s pain and suffering.

Outpatients are treated 4 days a week in the Pain Clinic. Inpatients are evaluated by referral from their primary physician at Roswell Park or their personal physician. Daily hospital rounds are made by the CPMS to ensure that effective pain and symptom control is attained and maintained.

The CPMS uses individual and family counseling, printed materials, and videotapes to help the patient and the family better understand cancer pain and its treatment.

Clinical services

The CPMS offers a variety of medical and invasive pain management techniques, as well as biofeedback, relaxation training, acupuncture, touch therapy, massage therapy, and physical therapy. New therapies developed at Roswell Park to manage problem conditions have resulted in the successful treatment of most patients.

Research activities

The CPMS is constantly seeking new and more effective methods of pain control. With this in mind, the CPMS conducts two types of research. Basic research focuses on the biological and psychological aspects of cancer pain. Applied research develops and evaluates more effective pain management techniques.

Education programs

With over 20 years of experience using the team approach, the CPMS is in a unique position to educate health care professionals, medical and graduate students, and community health care providers about cancer pain and its treatment.

The CPMS uses the latest instructional techniques, including videotapes and multimedia, to communicate the clinical and research aspects of cancer pain to medical, dental, nursing and physical therapy students, as well as psychology interns, anesthesiology residents and clinical fellows specializing in pain management.

Referral policy

Individuals with cancer pain can be referred to the Cancer Pain Management Service by their primary physician at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. If you would like a referral to a physician at Roswell Park, please call 1-800-ROSWELL or the Pain Clinic at 716-845-4595.

Location

We are located in the Survivorship & Supportive Care Center on the 3rd floor of the Scott Bieler Clinical Sciences Center. Please follow the directional signs that will lead you to us. For questions or more information, please call 716-845-4595.

Faculty

Oscar de Leon-Casasola, MD
Chief, Division of Pain Medicine
Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine
Mark Lema, MD, PhD
Chair
Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine
Benjamin Matson, MD
Staff Physician
Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine
Todd Schultz, MD
Staff Physician
Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine
Jennifer Grimmer, NP
Nurse Practitioner
Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine
Martha Bently-McLachlan headshot
Martha Bentley-McLachlan, RN, BSN, OCN
Oncology Nurse Coordinator
Pain Medicine