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; for example, 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:

• The tumor causing pressure on organs, nerves, or bone
• Poor circulation because the cancer has blocked blood vessels
• Blockage of an organ 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.