Pain
Pain
Many serious diseases, such as cancer and AIDS, cause pain. Pain can be intermittent or constant, and can vary in severity from mild to severe. It can have many different qualities, such as burning, shooting, aching, piercing or pinching. Many factors influence the perception of pain, including mood, activity level, stress, and the availability of pain-relieving therapies.
Pain can be caused by:
The activation of pain receptors by something that injures pain-sensitive tissues (nociceptive pain). Tissue damage from a mass (like a tumor) or from inflammation, for example, can cause this type of pain
Nerve damage (neuropathic pain) from a virus, chemotherapy, trauma or a disease such as multiple sclerosis
Treating pain is important. Unrelieved pain can cause patients to:
Experience depression
Experience disruptions in activity, appetite and sleep
Feel helpless and anxious
Give up hope
Reject treatment programs
Stop participating in life to the fullest extent possible
Pain usually can be controlled. There are many treatment options. To offer the best approaches for pain, doctors must recognize that pain is different in every person. All patients who experience pain deserve a detailed evaluation of the pain, the effect of the pain, and the diseases that may be causing the pain.
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:
Tumors pressing on organs, nerves or bone
Treatment such as surgery, chemotherapy or radiation
Other conditions related to the cancer, such as stiffness from inactivity, muscle spasms, constipation and bedsores
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:
Surgery, radiation or chemotherapy to shrink tumors causing pain
Antibiotic therapy or drainage for pain caused by infection
Psychological therapies, and social and spiritual support, to influence the perception of pain
Other pain treatments
Because the effects of a medication can vary widely from person to person, treatment of pain needs to be tailored to fit each individual. Some patients may need to try many different kinds of treatments before they find the right balance between pain relief and side effects.