Cancer Pain (PDQ®)–Patient Version

General Information About Cancer Pain

KEY POINTS

Cancer, cancer treatment, or diagnostic tests may cause you pain.
Pain can be managed before, during, and after tests and procedures.
Different cancer treatments may cause specific types of pain.
Peripheral neuropathy is a type of pain that can be caused by chemotherapy.
Cancer pain may affect quality of life and ability to function even after treatment ends.
Pain control can improve your quality of life.
Each patient needs a personal plan to control cancer pain.

Cancer, cancer treatment, or diagnostic tests may cause you pain.

Pain is one of the most common symptoms in cancer patients. Pain can be caused by cancer, cancer treatment, or a combination of factors. Tumors, surgery, intravenous chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, supportive care therapies such as bisphosphonates, and diagnostic procedures may cause you pain.

Younger patients are more likely to have cancer pain and pain flares than older patients. Patients with advanced cancer have more severe pain, and many cancer survivors have pain that continues after cancer treatment ends.

This summary is about ways to control cancer pain in adults.

Pain can be managed before, during, and after tests and procedures.

Some tests and procedures are painful. It helps to start pain control before a procedure begins. Some drugs may be used to help you feel calm or fall asleep. Therapies such as imagery or relaxation can also help control pain and anxiety related to treatment. Knowing what will happen during the procedure and having a family member or friend stay with you may also help lower anxiety.

Different cancer treatments may cause specific types of pain.

Patients may have different types of pain depending on the treatments they receive, including:

Postoperative pain.
Spasms, pain, stinging, and itching caused by intravenous chemotherapy.
Mucositis (sores or inflammation in the mouth or other parts of the digestive system) caused by chemotherapy or targeted therapy.
Ostealgia (bone pain) caused by treatment with filgrastim or pegfilgrastim, which are granulocyte colony-stimulating factors that help the body make more white blood cells.
Peripheral neuropathy (pain, numbness, tingling, swelling, or muscle weakness in hands or feet) caused by chemotherapy or targeted therapy.
Pain in joints and muscles throughout the body caused by paclitaxel or aromatase inhibitor therapy.
Osteonecrosis of the jaw caused by bisphosphonates given for cancer that has spread to the bone.
Avascular necrosis caused by long-term use of corticosteroids.
Pain syndromes caused by radiation therapy, including:
- Pain from brachytherapy.
- Pain from lying in the same position during treatment.
- Mucositis (inflammation of the mucous membranes in areas that were treated with radiation).
- Dermatitis (inflammation of the skin in areas that were treated with radiation).
- Pain flares (a sudden increase of pain in the treated area).

Peripheral neuropathy is a type of pain that can be caused by chemotherapy.

Peripheral neuropathy is a nerve problem that can cause pain, numbness, and tingling in the hands and feet. Patients on chemotherapy may have chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). In some patients, CIPN may continue after chemotherapy has ended.

Studies of drugs and natural products used to treat CIPN have shown mixed results. Duloxetine is a drug that has been studied to treat CIPN.

Studies of acupuncture for CIPN have been reported. See the Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy section in the PDQ summary on Acupuncture for information about these studies.

Cancer pain may affect quality of life and ability to function even after treatment ends.

Pain that is severe or continues after cancer treatment ends increases the risk of anxiety and depression. Feeling depressed or having anxiety can worsen cancer pain and make it harder to control. Some patients are unable to work because of the pain.

Pain control can improve your quality of life.

Pain can be controlled in most patients who have cancer. Although cancer pain cannot always be relieved completely, there are ways to lessen pain in most patients. Pain control can improve your quality of life during cancer treatment and after it ends.

Each patient needs a personal plan to control cancer pain.

Each person's diagnosis, cancer stage, response to pain, and personal likes and dislikes are different. For this reason, each patient needs a personal plan to control cancer pain. You, your family, and your healthcare team can work together to manage your pain. As part of your pain control plan, your healthcare provider can give you and your family members written instructions to manage your pain at home. Ask your healthcare provider who you should call if you have questions about your pain.