BACKGROUND: After reviewing the literature, the author found that most of the epidemiological data related to cancer pain was reported by physicians from the point of view of treatment, or of patients' response to the treatment. Although the nurses in oncology department are most direct participants in the cancer pain management, there is less investigation about the nurses' knowledge, attitudes to and skills of cancer pain management.OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this investigation was to provide information so as to suggest the nursing managers and educators in specifically propagating and disseminating the knowledge of cancer pain management.DESIGN: A sampled investigation.SETTING: Integrated Medicine Ward, College of Clinical Oncology,Peking University.PARTICIPANTS: The participants of this investigation were 128 nurses who took part in the National Tumor Care Academic Exchanges and Seminar Conference held in June 1998.METHODS: This investigation was carried out through a survey questionnaire and the questionnaire was designed on the basis of the Cancer Analgesics Questionnaire (for nurses use only) established by the Oncology Profession Committee of Chinese Nursing Association in 1993, furthermore,suggestions from experts were adopted.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:①The perception about "three-step analgesic ladder";②currently most commonly used analgesics in clinical;③assessment methods for cancer pain④knowledge of being addicted to analgesics⑤attitude of nursing staff to cancer pain management.RESULTS: The number of those who could correctly designate the relationship of three steps and pain intensity was 82(64.0% ). Only one person could correctly write down the contents of three steps analgesic ladder (0.7%) . Physician's orders for analgesics for cancer pain in the responders' hospitals were classified into the following types: temporary order:54.0%; when necessary, 38.0%; long-term order, 24.0%. But none of the nurses could mark correctly the range of mild, moderate and severe grade on the scale. Only 49.2% (63/128) of the nurses considered that "The pain scale should be determined according to the cancer patients' self-perception to the pain intensity(chief complaint)" . Among the responders, only 12.5% (16/128) of them accepted that "the incidence of addiction occurred as a result of analgesics used for pain control is less than 1% ". Only 26. 5% (34/128) of the responders could distinguish the concepts of tolerance, physical dependence, and addiction.CONCLUSION: From the results of the investigation, we can see that, the nursing professionals do not have sufficient knowledge about "three-step analgesic ladder". The popularization of related knowledge among nurses has been delayed severely. Nurses will obtain the knowledge of cancer pain management by clinical experience instead of in regular ways. The attitude of nursing personnel to cancer pain treatment is one of the important factors that affect the pain management. The frontline nurses should master the pharmacological characteristics of opioids so as to explain it to the patients and their relations distinctly. Nurses should bring into play a more powerful action in reducing the "addiction-phobia" due to their professional characteristics. We suggest that the latest new progress in cancer pain treatment should be incorporated into the normal textbooks on the management of cancer pain. We also propose that the methods of cancer pain treatment,contents of the principle of drug prescription be included in the training of a medical care personnel of oncology professional before entering into clinic.