What Causes Pain in Cancer

There are three sources of pain in childhood cancer: pain from disease, pain from procedures, and pain from cancer treatment. Sometimes, procedures and treatment for cancer are more painful than the disease itself. This can be difficult for parents and children to understand. But we can work with you and your child so it doesn't hurt so much.

Your child may have other distressing symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, itching, tiredness, or depression, and controlling them is very important. Talk to your child's nurse or doctor about how to make these problems better.

Children with cancer can also have the "normal" headaches, tummy aches, or other aches and pains that many children have.

PAIN FROM DISEASE

Many children have some pain before cancer is diagnosed. It is often pain that brings a child to the doctor. Disease pain is almost always due to pressure from the cancer cells on a part of the body. As these cells are removed with treatment, the pain usually disappears.

Disease pain may come back if the cancer cells return. This pain is usually short-lived, because the next cancer treatment will get rid of the cells that are causing the problem. It is important to know that new pain does not necessarily mean the return of your child's cancer. The pain may be from something else.

PAIN FROM PROCEDURES

Children with cancer require frequent needles to check how well the treatment is working. Such needles includefinger pricks, heel pricks, venipunctures (needles put into a vein), lumbar punctures (spinal taps), bone marrow aspirations (needles into bone), and access to internal central lines.

Until recently, it was not unusual for children with cancer to be very afraid of needles. Many say that needles are the worst of part of having the disease. Fear makes pain a lot worse, and, in the past, children have suffered a great deal from these procedures. The good news is that there are now many ways we can reduce this type of pain.

PAIN FROM TREATMENT

Pain can also come from cancer treatments. Sometimes, getting better hurts! For example, a needle in the leg muscle or the bottom can cause pain when the needle goes in the skin, and a stinging kind of pain as the drug is injected.

In some cases, side effects from cancer drugs may seem worse than the disease itself. For example, some cancer drugs may cause short-term nerve damage, which can be painful. Other drugs can cause constipation and tummy pain. Some treatments (both drugs and radiation) can also cause painful sores in the mouth. Fortunately, treatment pain can now be controlled