Pain is a sensation that hurts. It may cause discomfort, distress or agony. It may be steady or throbbing. It may be stabbing, aching, or pinching. However you feel pain, only you can describe it or define it. Because pain is so individual, your pain cannot be “checked out” by anyone else.

Pain may be acute or chronic. Acute pain is severe and lasts a relatively short time. It is usually a signal that body tissue is being injured in some way, and the pain generally disappears when the injury heals. Chronic pain may range from mild to severe, and it is present to some degree for long periods of time.

What Causes Pain For People With Cancer?

Cancer patients may have pain for a variety of reasons. It may be due to the effects of the cancer itself, or it could result from treatment methods. For example, after surgery a person feels pain as a result of the operation itself.

Or the pain could be unrelated to the cancer - a muscle sprain, a toothache, or a headache. Remember that not all people with cancer have pain. And those who do are not in pain all the time.

Cancer pain may depend on the type of cancer, the stage (extent) of the disease, and your pain threshold (or tolerance for pain). Cancer pain that lasts a few days or longer may result from:

-- Poor blood circulation because the cancer has blocked blood vessels.

-- The tumor causing pressure on organs, nerves, or bone.

-- Blockage of an organ or tube in the body.

-- Metastasis - cancer cells that have spread to other sites in the body.

-- Infection or inflammation.

-- Side effects from chemotherapy, radiation therapy , or surgery.

-- Stiffness from inactivity.

-- Psychological responses to illness such as tension, depression, or anxiety.

Whatever the cause, pain can be relieved…………