We know what pain feels like, but what actually is pain?
Cancer pain typically pops up if cancer spreads and affects nerves and other organs.
When this happens, your healthcare provider may prescribe medication to help you manage your pain.
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Read on to find out more about the different kinds of pain you may experience with cancer.
If you notice any new or other types of pain, let your healthcare provider know immediately.
This jot down of pain can come and go.
It may also increase over time.
Chronic Pain
Chronic pain lasts longer than three months.
Healthcare providers often have a tough time treating chronic pain because it can be hard to pinpoint.
It does not start in the internal organs but in the tissues surrounding them.
This kind of pain is often said to feel like stabbing pain or aching pain.
Neuropathic Pain
Neuropathic pain is often described as a burning or tingling sensation.
The injury can include a tumor putting pressure on the spinal cord or nerves.
Chemotherapy or radiation can also cause chemical or radiation damage to the nervous system resulting in pain.
Pain can be due to factors other than cancer, including treatment.
Therefore, it’s important not to panic when you notice any new jot down of pain.
Be sure to consult with your healthcare provider, however.
A Word From Verywell
Pain does not have to be part of having cancer.
If you are experiencing any pain, talk with your treatment team.
You don’t have to suffer during your treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions
You don’t know if pain is from cancer just from feeling it.
This is because it can depend on what body structures are affected, and where the cancer spreads to.
Common cancers like breast, lung, prostate, and lung cancers rarely cause pain where they originate.
It depends on what is causing the pain.
But the pain can be better some days and worse on others.
The degree of cancer pain depends on the kind of cancer you have.
International Association for the Study of Pain.IASP terminology.
Treede RD, Rief W, Barke A, et al.A classification of chronic pain for ICD-11.Pain.
2015;156(6):1003-1007. doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000000160
Murphy PM.Somatic pain.Encyclopedia of Pain.2007.
American Cancer Society.Facts about cancer pain.
National Cancer Institute.Cancer pain - patient version.
The International Association for the Study of Pain.IASP terminology.
