"Artificial Intelligence in Cancer Pain Management: Revolutionizing Precision Pain Care and Strengthening the Role of Oncology Nurses"

Abstract: Cancer pain remains one of the most common and distressing symptoms experienced by patients throughout the disease trajectory, significantly affecting physical functioning, psychological well-being, treatment adherence, and quality of life. Despite advances in pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies, inadequate pain control continues to be a major challenge due to delayed assessment, subjective pain reporting, opioid-related concerns, and variations in clinical practice. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative technology capable of improving cancer pain management through predictive analytics, machine learning, natural language processing, wearable technologies, and intelligent clinical decision support systems. AI facilitates continuous pain assessment, personalized analgesic therapy, remote patient monitoring, and early identification of symptom deterioration, enabling proactive and patient-centered care. Oncology nurses play a vital role in integrating AI into clinical practice through comprehensive pain assessment, patient education, symptom monitoring, ethical oversight, and multidisciplinary coordination. Although challenges such as data privacy, algorithmic bias, digital literacy, and infrastructure limitations remain, AI has considerable potential to enhance pain management outcomes and improve the quality of life of patients with cancer. This review discusses the current applications of AI in cancer pain management, its significance in nursing practice, existing challenges, and future perspectives.