EFIC Pain School on Cancer Pain

General information

6 – 9 October 2026
Radisson Blu Hotel, 107 Old Hall St, Liverpool, L3 9BD Merseyside, UK

Course Organisers: Dr Manohar Sharma (Liverpool), Dr Kate Marley (Liverpool), Dr Manish Gupta (Liverpool), Dr Deepti Bhargava (Liverpool), Dr HemKumar Pushparaj (Liverpool), Julie Williams (Liverpool), Hayley McCullough (Liverpool)

Focus of this EFIC Pain School: This course aims to develop skills of assessing and treating pain related to cancer and its treatment and in those surviving cancer. This interactive course format develops an evidence-based approach to assessment, and formulating diagnosis and designing a comprehensive holistic plan including pain management. The emphasis is on a multidisciplinary approach to managing pain related to cancer. Learning objectives of this course are in line with EFIC Core Curriculum for managing pain related to
cancer as below.
• Identify sociocultural influences on the experience of cancer and cancer-related pain.
• Be able to compare and contrast the assessment and management of persons with cancer
related pain and those with chronic non-cancer pain.
• Recognise the problems faced by cancer survivors who have persistent pain and management
principles.
• Discuss the meaning and significance of the World Health Organisation analgesic algorithm for
pain in cancer.
• Show awareness of and addressing unpleasant end-of-life symptoms including but not limited
to, pain, nausea/vomiting, respiratory distress and itch.
• Recognise the essential role of close liaison with other teams, specifically from oncology,
radiation oncology, neurosurgery, anaesthesia and palliative medicine.
• Define and distinguish between incident and incompletely relieved persistent pain.
• Discuss the role of cancer therapies in the management of cancer-related pain, including but not
limited to: Radiotherapy, Radiopharmaceuticals, Chemotherapy, Immune therapy and Surgery.
• Discuss the use of other adjuvant analgesics in cancer pain including but not limited to:
bisphosphonates, corticosteroids and ketamine.
• Role of various interventional pain-relieving techniques including nerve blocks, intrathecal
pumps, neuromodulation, neuroablation and High intensity focused ultrasound.

View the full programme here

Target Audience

Trainees from Anaesthetic, Neurosurgery, Pain and Palliative Medicine. Consultants/Specialists in Pain Medicine, Palliative Medicine, GPs, Advanced Nurse Practitioners, and Senior Physiotherapists with a specialist interest in the management of chronic pain. Scientists, Pharmacists and other non-medical personnel with a professional interest in relation to management of pain related to cancer.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, participants will be able to analyse sociocultural influences on cancer pain, compare cancer and non-cancer pain management, and develop individualised, evidence-based plans for cancer survivors with persistent pain. They will evaluate the WHO analgesic ladder, assess and manage end-of-life symptoms palliatively, and differentiate types of cancer pain to guide treatment. The course emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration with oncology and palliative care teams, integrates disease-modifying therapies into pain control strategies, and appraises adjuvant analgesics like bisphosphonates and ketamine within multimodal frameworks. Aligned with the EFIC Core Curriculum, these outcomes foster competency in comprehensive cancer pain management through diagnosis, assessment, and coordinated care planning.

How to apply

Please note: Application will open later in 2026.

Please note that for this pain school, your level of English needs to be at least C1 or higher according to the CEFR standard.
EFIC offer 15 places for this Pain School free of charge via a grant. For the chosen 15 applicants, all teaching and related activities are provided free of charge, along with accommodation and meals. The only significant cost these applicants should expect to pay is their travel.
Participation in the school is also possible as self-paying attendee. The fee is Earlybird fee £550 until 6th August 2026, then £625 thereafter and includes lectures, learning material, meals during breaks, lunches and dinner. For further information on how to register as self-paying attendance, click here https://painrelieffoundation.org.uk/events/efic-winter-cancer-pain-school-liverpool-2026/
As EFIC Pain Schools aim to focus specifically on interprofessionalism, applications from nurses and physiotherapists are especially encouraged.
All applications are evaluated by the European Pain Federation EFIC® Committee on Education and approved by the Executive Board.