The first edition of this text, published in 1986, proposed a method for relief of cancer pain, based on a few relatively inexpensive drugs, including morphine. Since then, the method has been tested and adopted in many countries around the world, providing pain relief for millions of cancer patients. This second edition takes into account the advances in understanding and practice that have occurred since then. Each part of the text has been revised and updated, and a new section added, describing the international system by which morphine and other opioids are made available to patients.