What to do about cancer pain

With many advancements and ways to treat cancer-related pain, you and your doctor can find something that gives you relief from the pain. In turn, that'll give you energy to keep fighting and stay in control.

If you're being treated for cancer, pain relief can be a lifesaver.

• About 50 percent of all cancer patients and 70 percent of people with advanced cancer experience pain some time during the course of their disease.
• It may come from the pressure cancer places on organs, bones, or nerves, or from the blockage of blood vessels.
• And with cancer, of course, sometimes the treatment can make you feel even worse than the disease does. Surgery, chemotherapy, biopsies, and radiation may also cause pain.

Fortunately, pain management is becoming more advanced, and cancer patients and their doctors have an arsenal of pain therapies to choose from. Since there are so many types of cancer and stages of the disease, your pain plan needs to be tailored for your diagnosis and your reaction to various pain treatments.

• The key to cancer pain management is your willingness to speak about your pain, to help your doctor take a thorough history, and to stick with the treatment plan you and your doctor agree on.
• It's important to address cancer pain early, as mild pain is easier to treat than severe pain, and to let your doctors know when a treatment isn't helping.
• Don't forget: Managing your pain not only gives you a better quality of life, it's a critical part of cancer care; keeping it tamped down gives you the energy and will to do what it takes to fight the battle against the disease itself.

This is one time when "sucking it up" and trying to cope with pain on your own is one of the worst things you can do.

Your doctor wants to know exactly what's causing your pain — the tumour itself or treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation, all of which can have significant side effects.

• Once he identifies the pain's origin, you can form a treatment plan.