by J. Lang Wood

Created on: June 23, 2009   Last Updated: July 01, 2009

Cancer is a disease that demands a great deal of the patient in order to attain a cure or remission. Not only can the disease itself cause pain from pressure on tissue, nerves, and bones, but the very treatments that fight the cancer can cause pain as well. Chemotherapy can bring neuropathy (numbness or pain in extremities), constipation and diarrhea, weakness and infection, or bone and joint pain. Fortunately, modern science has brought a number of new methods to deal with the pain from cancer and its treatment. Not everyone who has cancer or undergoes treatment has pain, but if you do have pain, rest assured that today's medicine has a repertoire of solutions for the problem. It is postulated that 95% of chronic cancer pain can be treated or relieved with modern medications and non-drug therapies. Even what is known as 'breakthrough pain,' that acute pain that sometimes occurs despite chronic cancer pain treatment, can also be relieved. Nurses and physicians that are specialists in chronic pain can be called upon to deal with difficult cases. With today's modern medications and therapies, there is no reason to fear that cancer pain will be left unmanaged.

Cancer pain is generally divided into three categories: mild pain, mild-to-moderate pain, and moderate-to-severe pain.

Mild Pain

Mild cancer pain is generally handled with NSAIDS medications, such as acetaminophen

or ibuprofen.

Mild-to-Moderate Pain

Pain that becomes more difficult to bear may need stronger treatment. NSAIDS in combination with opioid medications is usually effective for this level of pain. These combinations may be acetaminophen with codeine, hydrocodone, and oxycodone. Adjuvent medications, that is, medications that were designed for other purposes besides pain control such as tricyclic antidepressants, are often used in tandem with pain medications to control pain.

Moderate-to-Severe Pain

Cancer pain that begins to interfere with daily activities or quality of life may need to be treated with opioids alone. Medications such as morphine, fentanyl, oxycodone, methadone, and hydromorphone are some of the standard choices for moderate to severe pain from cancer or cancer treatment. A nerve block can be administered, that is, a local anesthetic that is injected in or around the site to stop the transmission of pain messages by the nerve endings. Adjuvant medications may also be given to help control moderate to severe cancer pain.

Breakthrough Pain

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