Take Control of Your Cancer Pain

Can cancer pain be controlled?
Cancer pain can be controlled in almost every case. This does not mean that you have no pain, but that it stays at a level that you can bear.

Cancer and its treatments can be painful. A tumor that presses on bones, nerves, or organs can cause pain. Surgery for cancer can cause pain. So can chemotherapy and radiation. There are a number of ways to control each of these kinds of pain.

You are the only person who can say how much pain you have, or if a certain pain medicine is working for you. Telling your doctor exactly how you feel is one of the most important parts of controlling pain.

What does your doctor need to know?
The more specific you can be about your pain, the more your doctor will be able to treat it. It often helps to write everything down. Include:

• When your pain started, what it feels like, and how long it has lasted.
• Any changes in your pain.
• If the pain is constant or if it comes and goes.
• If you have more than one kind of pain. Use words such as dull, aching, sharp, shooting, or burning.
• What makes your pain better or worse.
• A rating of your pain on a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being the worst pain you can imagine.

Tell your doctor exactly where you feel pain. You can use a drawing. Say if the pain is just in one place, if it is in several places at once, or if it moves from one place to another.

How is cancer pain managed?
Pain control often starts with medicine. Many drugs are used to treat pain. You and your doctor may need to adjust your medicine as your pain changes. Your doctor may suggest different drugs, combinations of drugs, or higher doses.

For a tumor that causes pain, removing or destroying all or part of the tumor, if possible, often helps. Doctors use chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery to do this.

There are many other ways to control cancer pain, including:

• Heat or cold.
• Splints or braces.
• Massage.
• Treatments that help you cope better with the pain, such as relaxation exercises, biofeedback, or guided imagery.
• Drugs you can buy without a prescription, such as ibuprofen, aspirin, or acetaminophen.
• Stronger drugs your doctor can prescribe. These include:
  • Drugs that relieve pain and swelling.
  • Mouthwashes that help with mouth sores.
  • Very strong painkillers.
  • Drugs used to treat depression. These drugs can relieve pain and help you sleep.
  • Some of the drugs used to treat seizures. These drugs help control burning and tingling pain caused by nerve damage.
  • Skin creams that help relieve pain.

Nerve blocks may help with very bad pain. Drugs are injected right into the nerve that affects the painful area. They provide short-term pain relief by preventing the nerve from sending pain signals.

Learning as much as you can about your pain may help. Emotional support from your friends and family may also help. Many people use other kinds of treatment, such as acupuncture and aromatherapy.

What is a pain control diary?
This is a record of your pain treatment and how it helped or did not help you. You can write down when you used each treatment, how it worked, and any side effects it caused. Having it written down helps you let your health care team know exactly how well your treatment is working.

For more information on controlling cancer pain, visit our A-Z Health Library.