The Relevance of the “Charter of Rights against Unnecessary Pain” in the Framework of the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan

¹Director of Active Citizenship Network, c/o Cittadinanzattiva APS. Via Cereate, 6 - 00183 Rome, Italy
²Community & Fellowship Assistant at Active Citizenship Network. Via Cereate, 6 - 00183 Rome, Italy
*Corresponding author
Mariano Votta, Director Active Citizenship Network, c/o Cittadinanzattiva APS. Via Cereate, 6 - 00183 Rome, Italy, E-mail: [email protected]. 
Received Date: September 08, 2020
Published Date: October 12, 2020
Copyright: Votta M, et al. ©2020.
Citation: Votta M, Cardillo M. (2020).  The Relevance of the “Charter of Rights against Unnecessary Pain” in the Framework of the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. Mathews J Nurs. 2(1): 07.

ABSTRACT
Chronic pain affects an estimated 100 million people across Europe [1]. Cancer related pain can be acute or chronic. Persistent cancer pain can, in some individuals, lead to the development of chronic widespread pain induced by plastic changes in the sensory nervous system [2]. Cancer survivors continue to live with physical and psychological symptoms associated with pain (such as cardiopulmonary compromise, fatigue, pain, neuropathies, depression and anxiety) [3] that interfere with the functioning of the patient’s body and mind and negatively affect his or her quality of life:

•    66% will survive for at least 5 years and 40% will be alive more than 10 years after diagnosis [4].
•    Between 33% and 40% of cancer survivors suffer from chronic pain, often neuropathic in nature [5].

For patients who live with a progressive advanced disease (incurable disease), pain is a very common symptom: 1.9 million European cancer patients die from their disease each year [6], 66% will experience pain before death and 55% will experience moderate‐to‐severe intensity pain [7].

The Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan represents the best occasion to better address the burden of cancer related pain, and the principled stated in the “Charter of Rights against unnecessary pain” could represent the ideal kaleidoscope with which to evaluate the effectiveness - from the point of view of patients and Patients Advocacy Groups (PAGs) - of the policies implemented by the European institutions. In fact, the “Charter of Rights against unnecessary pain” was promoted in order to obtain fair and adequate treatments that pay attention to the suffering that is felt in every moment of the disease among the adults, the elderly, and the children. 

KEYWORDS: Chronic pain; Cancer patients; Unnecessary pain; Patients’ rights; Cancer related pain; Charter of rights; Patients advocacy groups; Europe’s beating cancer plan