Pain in Cancer Patients
Many people with cancer experience pain. Thirty to 40 percent of patients in active cancer therapy and 70 to 90 percent of patients with advanced cancer report pain.
Cancer pain can be caused by:
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Tumors pressing on organs, nerves or bone |
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Treatment such as surgery, chemotherapy or radiation |
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Other conditions related to the cancer, such as stiffness from inactivity, muscle spasms, constipation and bedsores |
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Conditions unrelated to the cancer, such as arthritis or migraine |
In most cases, cancer pain can be controlled through relatively simple means. Doctors usually use medications, which are prescribed according to a plan that was first described by the World Health Organization and is called the Analgesic Ladder approach to cancer pain management.
Other ways to alleviate cancer pain include:
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Surgery, radiation or chemotherapy to shrink tumors causing pain |
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Antibiotic therapy or drainage for pain caused by infection |
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Psychological therapies, and social and spiritual support, to influence the perception of pain |
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Other pain treatments |
Beth Israel Medical Center, a major cancer care provider in New York City, has hundreds of cancer specialists in its network including top-rated surgeons, medical oncologists, physicians, radiation oncologists, radiologists, and oncology nurses.
Tags: Cancer, chemotherapy, Pain, radiation, surgery, Tumors pressing