Cancer Pain and You

When you or a loved one receives a diagnosis of cancer, it isn't long before you begin to think of the pain many people associate with cancer. It can be a frightening time. What will the pain be like? What will it do to our lives?

Today, most concerns about cancer-related pain can be relieved by understanding the facts about cancer pain, and learning about the help that is available for pain relief. That's what cancer-pain.org is here to do, with credible information that can help you and your health care provider cope with cancer pain.

Don't be surprised if much of this information is new to you. If you are like many people, you haven't had to spend much time in your life thinking about managing pain and so you have not become aware of the progress made in recent years to help. Here are some basic facts about cancer pain:

• Cancer pain can be relieved. The World Health Organization reports that in 85%-97% of all cancer cases, pain can be controlled.

• Cancer patients taking opioids and other medications do not become "drug addicts" despite the fears that many people have. Read more about the Myth of Addiction elsewhere on this site.

• Taking medication for pain when it is needed does not mean that "later on," there will be "nothing left" to treat the pain. There is a large arsenal of pain medications and techniques available to treat cancer pain and there is ALWAYS more that can be done to treat your pain.

• Excellent pain management is almost always the product of the thoughtful development of a pain management treatment plan. This plan, a roadmap of treatments and medications, is an excellent method of keeping track of what is and is not effective, and should be adjusted as needed. Cancer patients and health care professionals should work together to develop this plan, the cornerstone of effective pain management.

• Expert help in managing your cancer pain is available. Some health care professionals specializing in oncology (the treatment of cancer) are experts in pain management. Your physician and other health care providers, as well as other resources on this site, can help you find expert pain assistance if needed.

As a cancer patient, you have the absolute right to relief of your cancer pain. Use what you learn here to help you get the help you need, and deserve.

In the following sections, we will discuss different types and causes of cancer pain, how pain affects quality of life, ways to measure pain, and how best to communicate your experience of pain with your health care providers, family members, and others working with you.