Cancer Pain Requires Different Treatment

When it comes to pain types, cancer pain falls into a distinct category. It can come from either the cancer itself or from various cancer treatments. In any case, cancer pain can take its toll on your mental and physical wellbeing. 

Getting your cancer pain under control supports your recovery and increases morale. Haddis Hagos, MD, a board-certified pain management specialist and the medical director at Pain Management Associates LLC in Greenbelt, Maryland, can create an individualized treatment plan for your cancer pain. He recommends treatment based on your pain type, location, severity, and cause. 

Here’s everything you need to know about cancer pain treatment and what makes it unique. 

Which type of pain does your cancer cause? 

Not all cancer pain is the same. It can manifest in several ways. Your pain may be short lived or chronic, dull or stabbing, or continuous or spasmodic. Pain from other conditions can also worsen if you have cancer. 

Here are a few common types of cancer pain Dr. Hagos treats at Pain Management Associates LLC: 

Neuropathy

Commonly associated with diabetes, peripheral neuropathy can come from cancer treatments, too. This type of pain indicates nerve damage outside the brain and spinal cord and can involve burning, tingling, touch sensitivity, or jabbing pain. 

Postoperative pain

Postoperative pain arises after surgery and can prolong your surgical recovery. You might experience this after having a cancerous tumor removed. 

Mucositis

Mucositis is inflammation and pain in the mucous membranes lining your gastrointestinal tract. This can come from cancer treatments like targeted therapy and chemotherapy.

Bone pain

Several types of bone pain can occur from cancer or cancer treatments. You might experience bone pain from treatments that help your body produce more white blood cells or osteonecrosis (bone tissue death) in the jaw from bone cancer treatment. 

Spasms from chemotherapy

Chemotherapy taken intravenously (through an IV) can cause spasms, itching, or stinging pain.  

Pain syndromes related to radiation therapy

Radiation therapy (cancer treatment that shrinks cancer with X-ray energy) can cause several types of pain on its own. You might experience mucositis, dermatitis (skin inflammation), soreness from prolonged lying in one position during treatment, or pain flares. 

Choosing the right approach

At Pain Management Associates LLC, Dr. Hagos gets to know you well before making cancer pain treatment recommendations. He evaluates your pain to determine which type or types are causing you the most trouble. 

It might take time to find treatments that work well for you, but once you do, your quality of life with cancer can improve significantly. Cancer pain can be complex, especially when you have multiple types. Therefore, treatment can be complex, too. 

Dr. Hagos may recommend one or more of these therapies to treat pain from cancer or cancer treatments:

• Nerve blocks
• Physical therapy
• Relaxation techniques
• Spinal nerve stimulation
• Aquatic therapy
• Heat and ice therapy

These options can help you rely less on medications for cancer pain, which may have side effects or complications. 

In some cases, Dr. Hagos may recommend an intrathecal morphine pump to manage cancer pain. This is a device implanted in the spinal cord to deliver medication to pain at the source. 

If you have cancer pain, get the professional care you need as soon as possible. Call Pain Management Associates LLC or request an appointment online today.