Patients with cancer commonly experience pain due to the cancer itself, the cancer treatment, or a combination of both. How much pain a patient experiences is not necessarily related to the growth of the cancer. Pain is routinely assessed as a part of cancer care.
ESMO Patient Guide on Cancer Pain Management
There are many ways to manage different types of cancer-related pain. The pain relief offered depends upon the type and severity of the pain, as well as the patient’s general health and level of fitness. Patients should be fully informed and involved in decisions about treatment options.
In this guide, you can find information about:
- What is cancer pain and how common is it?
- How is cancer pain assessed?
- How is treatment for cancer pain determined?
- What are the treatment options for different types of cancer pain?
- What is a clinical trial and should I participate?
- What are the possible side effects of treatment?
- What can I do to improve my well-being?
- Emotional support
This guide has been prepared to help you, as well as your family, caregivers and friends, better understand cancer pain and its treatment. The medical information described in this guide is based on the ESMO Clinical Practice Guideline for cancer pain in adults, which is designed to help clinicians with the management of cancer pain.
The Patient Guide on Cancer Pain Management is published in 2019.
To enquire about permission to translate or support the distribution (in English or in a translated version) of the Patient Guides series, please send an e-mail to patient_guides@esmo.org