Somatization disorder and cancer: a case history and review.

Cancer pain generally has a physical cause exacerbated to varying degrees by psychological, social, and spiritual factors. This article describes the case history of a cancer patient with severe pain for which no physical cause could be found, who was subsequently found to have a history of somatization disorder. There follows a review of the literature, with specific reference to the difficulties of managing somatization in the context of cancer.