The role of cancer treatment includes surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy as primary causes of pain. Painful conditions are more likely to occur in patients whose immune system has been suppressed as a result of these therapies.

For instance, if chemotherapy drugs cause nerve damage, a cancer patient may experience burning, numbness, tingling, or shooting pain most often in the fingers or toes. Mouth sores, headaches, muscle pains, and stomach pains can also result from some chemotherapy drugs.

cancer pain during cancer treatmentPain is a frequent source of patient anxiety due to improper management during cancer treatment. Most patients said the main reason they did not take pain medication was because their doctor did not recommend it. This reason was followed by a fear of addiction or dependence and the inability to pay. Some patients resist those pain medications as they worry will be addicted to the medication, or there will be the side effects.

There are three most common types of cancer pain during cancer treatment:

  • Acute pain. Pain from a recent surgery, injury or medical illness is called acute pain. In many cases, this pain can be managed immediately and will usually get better in just a short time.
  • Chronic pain. It is defined as pain that persists longer than the normal course of time associated with a particular type of injury. Chronic pain is essentially caused by the bombardment of the central nervous system with nociceptive impulses, which causes changes in the neural response.
  • Breakthrough pain. This defined as pain that occurs in patients with chronic pain that is controlled by medications.

It is advisable for a cancer patient who is undergoing cancer treatment describe his pain to his family members. This will help when the cancer patient is too tired or suffering cancer pain, his family members able to communicate with his doctor to look for treatments can be used to relieve painful conditions.

Below are some questions that the family members should ask to have better understanding of pain that the patient facing:

  • Which part of body feeling the greatest pain?
  • How long does the pain last?
  • Is pain sharp or dull, throbbing or steady? Having intensity description of the pain by using a numerical scale, with 0 being no pain and 10 being the greatest pain.
  • What types of activities or positions make the pain better or worse?

Due to rapid advances in medicine, there are many pain medications are available for cancer pain. Patients often will be prescribed medications before receiving other forms of therapy. However, patient attitudes about pain and its treatment can inhibit adequate pain management during cancer treatment.

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